Past Mistake
by Bralt
Summary: Everybody makes mistakes. Some you can ignore and move on from but and some will immediately tell you that you can't ignore them. Then there are the others. The ones that you can ignore and try to forget for a while but eventually come back to get you. Even if it's been quite a few years.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, so this keeps nagging at me as an idea so I figured I might as well get the little chewing monster away and post this. I will most likely continue this but not until after I finish the fic I am currently writing on but it'd still be wicked awesome of you to review;)**

_ Halt's eyes opened lazily. Early morning sunlight drifted in through the large windows in his royal room. Though he was a prince, the room was relatively bare except for the carpet on the floor and the canvas bed decorated with the pillows and blankets he lay in now. Shuddering, he drew the blanket up to cover his bare chest. The servants were supposed to keep the fire in the fireplace going, why was it so cold in here? Glancing towards the fireplace that was set in the wall facing him, Halt saw it was out. That was odd and he sat up, sending his head spinning. That was something else that seemed odd, he felt a bit nauseous but not sick. It was still early and the room was only dimly lit as he stretched his arms painfully. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Halt froze. There was a figure beside him. Closer inspection revealed the person to be Fianna. Suddenly the events of the previous night hit him like a storm. From the ball, to the drinking and so on and so forth. He buried his head in his hands before climbing out of bed and tugging a shirt and pants on. His movements hurt and it only proved his theory of what happened. He knew it hadn't been a good idea to let Fianna convince him to drink._

_ Fianna stirred, woken by the sudden lack of his weight on the bed. Gathering the blanket around herself, she caught Halt's eye. They were troubled and a bit frantic, so were hers as the night's actions came to her as well. Before either of them could say anything, there was a pounding at the door to the room._

_ "Hurry up!" It was Ferris, Halt's brother. There was a tone of anticipation in his voice, as if he were nervous._

_ "Hold on," Halt called back. The pounding stopped._

_ "Father wishes to speak to you before we go fishing," Ferris answered and there was the sound of shuffling feet. It seemed Ferris was eager to get going._

_ "We'll talk about this later," Halt whispered before unlocking the door and slipping out of the room to meet his brother. He knew it was wrong, they needed to discuss this now, but he couldn't keep his father waiting else he wanted to be questioned as to why. And at the moment he himself wasn't clear on what was going on._

_ Little did he know that he wouldn't be able to talk it over later with Fianna. Or anybody else for that matter. For later he'd be on his way away from Dun Kilty and a murderous brother._

__**No, this will not all take place with a young Halt...please review**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, yes, I have to finish the last chapter or so of Friends Fight but I'm having a hard time putting what I have in my head down onto paper. I'm not being taken in by writer's block though so have no fear! So I decided to take a break from that (most likely be finishing it this week as we have tomorrow then two half days then break:D:D:D:D)**

**Okay, before this starts I need to seriously thank two authors who helped a WHOLE LOT with this, like seriously, if it hadn't been for Skittlesgal and Footloose Poets helping me get started then I probably wouldn't be writing this fic. So they are completely epic people like those that review and now have immunity to the snuggies;)**

Halt hurried up the steps in the castle, eager to get back to his apartment to see Pauline finally. It'd been about a month since he'd been in Redmont and around three since they'd actually gotten to be together. It was chaotic sometimes with all the missions and whatnot coming into their lives and driving everything apart the way it did. Now, however, he knew that they were both in Redmont and no missions were immediately upon them. As he came to the top of the stairs and strode down the corridor to their door, he was a bit concerned to see a messenger and a tall man walking out. The messenger hurried off before Halt could see him clearly but the man stopped when he saw Halt coming.

"Hullo Ranger," he greeted cheerfully and Halt recognized him as one of the high ranking scribes, Lance. He wasn't like most scribes in appearances as he'd been a knight long before a scribe but a severe wound to his leg had forced him out of the action and into another career. Blond, almost white, hair cut short with blue eyes gave him a rather friendly appearance that defied his physical build. Pauline often dealt with him when preparing treaties and other papers for missions. Halt nodded in greeting, ignoring the annoyance inside of him. It seemed that Lance came around whenever Pauline had a mission and if it wasn't the fact she might be leaving again that irritated him then it was the fact that Lance was with her more than he was. Especially when missions got in the way and Halt had to leave. "Welcome back," Lance added. He was rather comfortable with Halt, something that irked the Ranger to a great extent sometimes.

"Thanks," Halt mumbled and Lance took the hint in his voice to leave. Halt watched the scribe for a few moments as he walked down the corridor before entering his apartment.

Pauline was busy clearing papers off the table and didn't notice him as he closed the door silently. It bothered Halt that she'd had the hinges oiled again but now he knew he could use it to his advantage. Using his Ranger skills, he walked up behind her fairly easily as her back was already facing the door. As she was making a pile of papers, Halt wrapped his arms around her middle and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Miss me much?" he asked as she gave a startled yelp and jumped back into his chest. One of his rare smiles settled on his lips as she spun around in his arms and slapped his chest.

"Halt O'Carrick, you know I hate it when you do that," she snapped though Halt knew she wasn't really angry. Once she got over her shock and did a quick inspection to make sure he had all limbs and his head was still on his shoulders, she enveloped him in a hug.

"Why was Lance here?" Halt questioned disinterestedly as he could when she'd released him. He tried to keep the small amount discontent out of his voice but Pauline picked up on it easily.

She knew that Halt wasn't fond of the scribe and it irritated him that Lance had been in his home with his wife. Halt knew it was ridiculous to think Pauline would do anything with Lance but something inside him disagreed. He wasn't exactly home all the time and knew it probably wasn't the easiest for Pauline. Even more so now that the most time they'd gotten together in the past three months was perhaps a few days total. They'd known they wouldn't be able to be together all the time when they'd wed but this seemed extreme lately. Because of this, things had grown tense between them when they did meet. So the thought of Lance being around when he wasn't and talking to Pauline made Halt annoyed. Why did he always have to come to the apartment? Why couldn't he just wait until Pauline was in her office at least?

"A baron in the east claims the neighboring fief's borders are too far south into his territory. Apparently it's something to do with old paperwork and past relatives promising land and whatnot. King Duncan thinks it should be handled quickly and wants Lance and me to go," Pauline explained. "Lance was here to help me look over the papers so we knew what was going on," she added in a tone that suggested Halt shouldn't be getting any ideas about them. Things hadn't been the smoothest between the couple lately. The last time they'd been together Pauline had left for Norgate after Halt had said his thoughts on Lance and her. To say the least, the matter hadn't been resolved nicely or even at all.

"Can't Alyss go?" Halt questioned, taking his bow, cloak and quiver off to set by the door. He then took a seat at the table, noting with a bit of dissatisfaction that there were two drained mugs on the table. Lance had apparently stayed longer than a few minutes.

"She's with Will in Skandia trying to sort out the ownership of land over there. Erak has no clue how to handle matters diplomatically; none of the Skandians do so they've requested some help. They just left last week so they won't be back any time soon," Pauline answered as she collected the rest of the papers and stacked them up.

"When do you leave?" Halt asked, knowing that it'd be soon.

"Tomorrow," Pauline replied distractedly as she quickly skimmed a paper on the top of the pile.

"I'm over here," Halt said a bit testily. The least she could do was look at him. It seemed ridiculous but Halt felt a little angry that she wasn't bothering to look at him while talking. He'd been waiting three months to finally get a proper amount of time to be with her and here she was, not even looking at him, instead too absorbed in a document for yet another mission. Pauline looked up at him questioningly.

"What's wrong?" she asked him lightly, not realizing what his agitation was over. This just irked Halt more for some reason.

"Nothing," Halt responded, fighting back his annoyance. Maybe some would consider his anger ill-founded but he'd seen relationships fall apart before because half of it went away for too long and the other found somebody new. He wouldn't have admitted it but he didn't want to imagine what would happen if Pauline did find someone else and simply left.

"Halt, the first time we see each other for more than a few minutes in months and the first thing you ask after scaring me is 'Why was Lance here?'" Pauline shot back, placing her hands on her hips. Her tone was icy but Halt didn't back down from it.

"It was a question, when he comes it means you're going to be leaving. It's like saying good morning, a habit." Halt glared at her. This wasn't anything new happening if you based it on the last few times they'd met. The only difference was that this time Halt could sense Pauline wasn't going to stay calm.

"Well now you know I'm leaving tomorrow but I've known you long enough to know it's not just about that," Pauline persisted. "I know you don't like Lance but do you honestly think anything is going on?"

"Back to Lance, wonderful," Halt grumbled.

"Halt, just stop. The last time this happened about Lance it didn't end well, did it?" Halt found himself forgetting to keep his anger at simmering level. Arguments like these were a bit of a touchy subject with him.

"Well it doesn't seem like anything was learned from that, he's still coming around," Halt growled, his voice rising slightly.

"The only thing I 'learned' from that was that my husband is more immature than I'd thought. I've told you more than once it's just work," Pauline snapped hotly as she crossed her arms. Normally Halt would have tried to make amends around now but before he could think of a suitable line, he was saying something else.

"Work usually takes place in an office and as far as I've seen, he's never going to your office. He just seems to show up here at my door."

"Halt, I live here too, it's not _your_ door," the diplomat retorted vehemently.

"Fine you can have the damn door, just remember that work takes place in an office. If you wanted to kiss, I'd prefer you do it in his quarters and not here where I have to eat," Halt said angrily, his words slurred by his accent.

"Halt, you can't be serious. You know I wouldn't do something like that," Pauline answered with a tone of disbelief mixed in with her fury. Halt stood up as if to leave.

"Could have fooled me," Halt snapped before turning and heading for the door, tired of the argument.

"Stop Halt, you're being childish. Where do you plan on going?" Pauline's voice reached Halt's ears as he gripped the door handle.

"I don't know why don't you go ask Lance? It will give you an excuse to go see him," Halt answered before exiting the room and slamming the door behind him.

**Yes, Halt and Pauline were most likely off but that's because of the situation they were in. Y'all should really review...makes me feel better after finding out there are no waffles left...**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Again my thanks goes to Footloose Poets (somebody I recommend if you want a great fic) for helping. **

Halt started down the corridor in a random direction. Caught up in his thoughts and anger, he didn't realize that Lance was coming towards him until they collided. Lance, who had been involved in a conversation with another man, hadn't seen Halt coming either. Due to his larger size, Lance stayed standing as Halt stumbled back a step.

"Sorry about that," Lance said as he put out a hand to steady the Ranger. Halt ended up not needing it and the scribe took it back quickly.

"I'll see you around then," Lance's companion said in farewell to Lance. Said scribe smiled and waved as his friend continued along.

"I thought you had to see Nigel," Halt muttered, quelling the anger in his tone. Without his cloak he felt a bit odd but ignored the feeling as best he could.

"He was busy and I realized I left my cloak in your apartment," Lance answered cheerfully. Halt's only answer was a nod. "You really are a lucky man Halt, I've found it an honor to work with Pauline," he added and Halt felt the beginning of a glare form.

"You'd know what it's like more than I would. I hear you two are going on a mission to eastern fiefs," Halt said darker than he had intended. Lance didn't notice the smudge of hostility in Halt's tone and carried on as his carefree self.

"Yes, if Baron Eastwood doesn't agree with our terms I'm sure he'll change his mind once he sees your wife." Lance said casually. Something told him he wasn't the Rangers favorite person and, being who he was, he was trying to fix that someway. Maybe if he'd realized Halt was angry he would have wished him a good day and left. Halt looked at him sternly but it went by unnoticed. "She's extravagant at her job, I don't believe I've ever had the honor to work with somebody of her skill," Lance added when Halt didn't respond. There was a glint in Halt's eyes, whether it was from the torches lining the hall or because he was considering shoving Lance's head into a torch had yet to be decided.

"She's the head of the diplomatic service for a reason," Halt answered as if it should be obvious. Lance laughed.

"She's earned it as well. Anybody who wasted extra time trying to teach a knight to be diplomatic is rather worthy of note. Not to mention she's got an excellent way of handling people, quite official in work but rather relaxed after. It's a wonder you haven't had to deal with people trying to take her from you," the scribe continued aimlessly. Halt's jaw clenched, another warning that passed by.

"Tell me about it," Halt grumbled. His fists seemed to be acting of their own accord as they clenched and unclenched repeatedly. "I take it you like being a scribe then?" he questioned, trying to draw the conversation away from Pauline. The inquiry was merely something to waste time so he could calm.

"Yes, it's not the action I'm used to but it's better than sitting around and doing nothing. The one thing I don't think I could ever get used to is the cramped conditions in some castles we visit. Especially in the east where they're older and a tad smaller. I've found more than once that members of the group get shoved into the same room. Not to mention the boredom between some meetings, it's quite hard to find things to do some times," he answered. Halt didn't answer immediately due to him trying to take a deep breath but Lance didn't seem to notice and if he did he didn't show any sign of doing so. The lapse continued for a moment and Lance, never one for silence, continued on. "Let me tell you something Halt, you must be pretty special the way she talks about you. Most times we'll be on a mission after supper and she'll be all stressed out about if you're okay. The extra time to think doesn't help matters I sup-"Lance didn't get to finish as Halt made sure his fist made solid contact with the scribe's middle

If anybody else had been talking about his wife Halt might have passed it off as compliments but not for Lance. And if it had been anybody else he wouldn't have interpreted the answers wrongly and assumed something that wasn't happening. Maybe it was because he'd decided Lance was out to take Pauline from him, either way it made Halt's blood boil to hear the ex-knight talking like this.

Lance doubled over from the lack of air, he didn't make any move to retaliate due to the fact he wasn't clear on what was happening. Halt powered on, slamming his clenched fist into Lance's chin, causing his teeth to jar together and bite his lip. Halt then proceeded to take another swing at the mouth again, successfully knocking out a front tooth. Lance gave a shout and tried to get something on Halt but failed as he was still gasping for air slightly and trying to deal with the pain in his mouth. Halt placed a foot behind the scribe's feet then rammed his hand into Lance's nose. The scribe went to stumble backwards but was tripped by Halt's foot and bounced his head off the wall before falling to the ground with a solid thud. His head lolled slightly to the side but he was still breathing and Halt could tell he still had consciousness.

Something smacked Halt hard in the back of the head and he spun around, ready to hit whoever had done that. He stopped when he saw a glaring Pauline. He relaxed a bit but didn't have time to say anything as she shoved past him and kneeled by Lance. For some reason this angered him as he watched her talk to him, making sure he was alright in a sense. Eventually she managed to get Lance sitting up, no help from Halt, and then standing. He seemed a little uneasy on his feet and was clutching his mouth to try and keep the blood in. The red fluid ran through his hand and even over it due to his nose. There was a cut on the back of his head as well from where it had hit the wall.

"I'll take you to the infirmary," Pauline said as Lance almost fell sideways. He set a hand on the wall to steady himself and tried to shake his head, regretting it almost exactly after the attempt.

"It's fine, I got it," Lance responded as he lowered his hand from his mouth. It sounded like he was trying to speak while drinking water. He wiped the blood on his shirt as it was already gaining stains from the continued flow from his nose.

"You can hardly stand," the diplomat argued, watching as Lance released the wall and swayed a little.

"I've got it," he pressed, doing his best to sound confident. Apparently it worked for when he started off down the corridor Pauline didn't chase him. Instead she turned to Halt with a murderous glint in her eye.

"Halt O'Carrick, what's the matter with you?" she thundered.

"Sorry if I damaged your boyfriend," Halt muttered sarcastically, not helping matters. There was a stinging sensation as Pauline's hand made contact with his face. He didn't say anything to acknowledge the action though he felt like rubbing where her hand had surely made an imprint.

"I don't know if you've noticed but I seem to be married to someone, whether he be a child or a grown man has yet to be decided however," she said angrily.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm married as well, whether she wants to be or not has yet to be decided," Halt retorted, purposely using Pauline's wording. Judging by the look she gave him, Halt figured he must have crossed some kind of line. The suspicion was proven true as she tore the wedding ring off her finger and threw it at his feet.

"Does that answer it for you?" she snapped before turning and heading down the hall away from him and towards the infirmary.

**Uh-oh...this is what happens when I hit my funny bone, a small tear opens and all the funny just like drains out. Please review**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, so for those who have read Friends Fight and agreed with me that the ending sucked terribly, I will be doing an epilogue that I hope to have up tonight, tomorrow at latest I hope**

Halt watched as Pauline strode off down the corridor. Something told him to chase after her but he found himself frozen to the spot. What had just happened? Sure, they'd fought quite a bit and it'd gotten to be terrible before. Up to the point where he'd end up sleeping at Will's cabin even. Despite that, this in a way could be worse. Sometimes he could say her anger was false but not now. Now it seemed she was in quite a fury. Halt crouched down and picked up the ring that had landed by his foot. It glinted in the light cast by the torches and he felt his anger welling up again. Stuffing the ring in his pocket, Halt stood to do what he always did after fights. Fresh air usually helped.

He took off down the hallway in the opposite direction of Pauline. A few minutes later he found himself in the courtyard heading for the stables. When he got to Abelard's place, he wasn't in any better mood. Taking a brush from his saddlebags, Halt started tending to his horse to calm down some. Had anybody passed him they would have heard him mumbling to his horse and perhaps thought him insane.

"Ah yes, I see you've reached the final stages of insanity, talking to your horse. Some would assume you were losing it Halt," a voice said. Halt stopped his task and turned to see Crowley.

"What?" he asked flatly and Crowley frowned.

"No insult? No rant about my intrusion of your privacy? Not even a hello?" the commandant said helplessly before realizing Halt truly wasn't in a good mood to mess with. Knowing about the fights between Halt and Pauline, Crowley didn't keep up with his joking. "Again?" he asked to confirm. Halt glared at him.

"No," Halt replied darkly. Crowley raised an eyebrow, a movement he'd become rather fond of.

"Then why don't we go up to your apartment and talk about your new mission?" Crowley suggested. Halt crossed his arms.

"I just got back," Halt said, ignoring the suggestion. Crowley allowed himself to be distracted as he nodded. He knew from experience that pressing for details wasn't a good idea. It often resulted in two unhappy Rangers instead of one.

"Yes well Sean seems to want your company in Hibernia. I don't have a lot of details, just what he sent in a letter," Crowley explained. "Anyplace we can go to talk about it?" Crowley queried. Halt thought for a moment, there was no way he wanted to go back to the apartment, even if Pauline was surely in the infirmary. With Will and Alyss gone and their cabin empty it'd be ideal but Halt couldn't bring himself to invade their home, even if it had been his for most his life. Eventually Halt shook his head, besides the forest there wasn't any place else to go and he knew Crowley preferred to handle paperwork and whatnot inside. Crowley sighed. "How bad was it?" he finally asked. Perhaps he could get Halt to make amends with his wife. In response Halt held up Pauline's wedding ring.

"Bad enough for her to throw this at me," he stated and Crowley sighed again.

"Where is she now?" Crowley continued now that he'd finally gotten past Halt's defense. Just the fact he'd told the commandant how bad it was without using some colorful language suggested something.

"In the infirmary," Halt answered absently. Crowley looked shocked for a moment. "She's seeing Lance, I didn't lay a finger on her," Halt snapped at his friend's look. He felt an urge to rub his face where she'd slapped him. Crowley visibly relaxed.

"Well what happened to Lance then?"

"Nothing," Halt muttered and Crowley realized that he was done sharing for now.

"Halt, let's just go to your apartment. You're going to need to get over this with her at some point," Crowley said, crossing his own arms. Halt didn't respond. "Would it influence you any if I reminded you that your coffee is in there?"

* * *

Halt took his regular seat at the table in his apartment. Crowley went about making coffee as Halt, for once, didn't seem in the mood to make it. Instead he entertained himself by rolling Pauline's ring back and forth on the table. When the commandant had finished, he placed a mug in front of Halt then took his seat.

"A few days ago I got a letter from Sean. It's not very explanatory but he says someone high up in his inner circle has been kidnapped. Sean thinks this is the work of another kingdom. A new group has taken root in the kingdom to the north. Until now they didn't show any kind of threat. As you may have guessed, they're demanding an unreasonable ransom and Sean refuses to pay," Crowley explained. Halt took a deep sip of his coffee, thinking over what was being said. It didn't make sense why Sean would want him. A kidnapping didn't seem all that out of place in Hibernia and the last time Halt had been there the inner circle didn't seem worth saving. "That's all the letter said Halt, nothing more."

"Did it say who it was?" Halt asked, ignoring Crowley's statement. Why Sean was being so skimpy with the details confused him a bit but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The time the letter had been written could have been when they hadn't known much about the group. Chances are they had more information now.

"Someone by the name of Fianna O'Callaghan," Crowley said, looking for a response from Halt. "Know who she is?" he asked when Halt set his mug down and settled back in his chair. Pauline's ring had disappeared into a pocket.

"I've heard the name," Halt muttered distractedly. Though he remained calm exterior wise, Halt was practically frozen inside. Fianna was a name he hadn't thought about in what seemed like forever. Or at least as long as he'd been married. With the name came the guilt of the situation and Halt didn't like that in the least. Several times he'd considered telling Pauline but there didn't seem to ever be a good time, especially of late. Without realizing it, Halt's fingers began to tap out a tattoo on the table.

"Does she mean anything?" Crowley persisted, his natural Ranger curiosity kicking in. Halt felt like giving him a death glare but that might have given away too much.

"She was a friend when I lived there," he explained simply. Crowley decided not to press farther, he could tell there was more to it than that but he also knew if Halt wanted it a secret, it would stay that way.

"So you want to go then?" Crowley asked. It was actually somewhat a test to see how much of a friend Fianna might have been to him.

"Sean said he needed me?" Halt asked, knowing if he said yes immediately, Crowley would pick up on something. Crowley nodded. "Then I'll go."

"Great. I'll go explain to Arald what's going on then send a messenger to Selsey to have a boat ready for you when you arrive. You'll be leaving tomorrow," Crowley said with a grin. Handing Halt the letter from Sean and a few reports reviewing recent missions done by other Rangers, Crowley stood and left, leaving Halt to his thoughts.

Before Halt could get too lost in his ideas, the door opened behind him to admit Pauline.

**There we go, please review**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, thanks to SkittlesGal who continues to help me when I need it:D**

For a few moments there was silence, Pauline clearly hadn't expected Halt to be in the apartment. Closing the door behind herself, she started towards their bedroom. Halt followed but stayed leaning on the door frame when she went to the dresser to gather things for her mission. His hands were buried in his pockets and he felt her cold ring pass through his fingers.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Halt asked, trying to forget their arguments.

"Depends if the barons want to cooperate," Pauline answered icily, clearly she wasn't deciding to forget it all.

Pushing himself off the doorframe and taking his hands out of his pockets, Halt walked over to her. She was busy going through the drawers picking out the clothes she might need and ignored him. Leaning against the bedpost behind her, he crossed his arms. For a minute or so he watched her, debating whether or not to say anything about Fianna. Something told him it wouldn't be wise to tell Pauline now so he started out like he normally did when trying to make amends with her.

"I'm sorry," he said and Pauline spun around to face him. He'd said the words so many times by now in their past meetings that it didn't take as much effort as it might have before their fights began.

"Halt, you've said that so many times by now it's starting to lose its meaning," she snapped. Halt fought back a cutting reply and met her gaze calmly.

"I mean it," Halt pressed like he always did.

"You've said that as well and the next time we meet the entire thing starts over again," Pauline answered and Halt could sense she was upset. Though even a thick skulled knight would have been able to tell she wasn't happy. Halt reached out to grab her hand but she moved it away. "I can understand you not liking Lance Halt, but what you did was out of line," she added. Halt stayed silent, not knowing how to answer. Usually things got better after sorry but that just seemed to have made things worse here.

"What am I supposed to do then?" Halt asked. He sounded angry though he didn't want to. The only other option was to sound helpless and Halt just wasn't capable of that.

"You could start by actually trusting me Halt. For some reason you've convinced yourself that I'm going to leave you for Lance. Halt, you go on missions that take you out of the country more than I do and for all I know you could have more than one wife but I know you wouldn't do that," Pauline said, clearly annoyed. Halt fell silent, avoiding her gaze. Technically she'd just said exactly what he had. Fianna wasn't exactly his wife because the ceremony had never been held but he remembered in Hibernia that if you were promised away the ceremony was just a formality really. "Halt?" she questioned sternly, taking note of his change.

"It's nothing real, just a tradition," he tried to explain. Pauline's eyebrows shot upwards. "We're promised away at young ages in Hibernia. I left before any type of ceremony was even considered but some are fanatic about things like this over there."

"And you never thought to mention this." It wasn't a question, it was a disapproving statement and Halt sighed internally. So much for making amends.

"There was never any reason _to _mention it," Halt replied. Pauline crossed her arms and gave him a look, suggesting it'd be a good idea for him to explain now. "I met her when I was thirteen and was promised away to her at fourteen when it was discovered I didn't get along with other royalties," Halt explained.

"Halt-"

"That's not all," Halt interrupted. Judging from the look on Pauline's face it was going to be hard to get her angrier than she was now. If that was the case then why not go all or nothing? "The last night I was in Hibernia I got drunk. I can't remember anything clearly except for the fact I woke up next to her. For all I know I have a kid out there." Apparently he'd been wrong, Pauline could easily be angrier.

Pauline glared at him before throwing the article of clothing in her hand back into the drawer. Without acknowledging Halt anymore she started towards the door. Halt, a bit stupidly, grabbed her by the arm and spun her back around to face him, keeping his hold. If she'd been capable of killing him with a look Halt would've been dead several times over.

"You wanted to know," he said accusingly.

"That's because I didn't think you'd actually have done something like that and kept it from me," she snapped back angrily and tried to twist out of his grip. Halt held on tighter, preventing her from leaving.

"I was seventeen; do you honestly think I had that much sense? How the hell was I supposed to know there would be a child? I still don't know," Halt argued, his voice rising. "This is why I didn't tell you, it's not helping anything!"

"So instead of staying to sort out the mess you made, you came to Araluen and left her there. Halt, if that isn't dimwitted then not telling me about this sooner is!" Pauline retorted, her voice rising to meet his.

"I don't know if you recall me telling you this, but I seemed to have a brother that wanted me dead. I couldn't exactly hang around to have my father skin me alive! When you're running from something like that, a mistake is the furthest thing from your mind!" By now Halt was shouting, something he couldn't remember doing to Pauline for as long as he'd known her.

"Let me go," Pauline demanded, meeting Halt's eyes with a violent tone.

"Tell me how I can fix this then," Halt snapped back.

"Yes Halt, because you can go have kids with whoever and not tell your wife about it and then just magically make everything better with a few words," Pauline scoffed.

"It was over twenty years ago, why does it even matter now?"

"Well let's see Halt, you're married to somebody that you were promised away to in Hibernia that possibly had your kid. I think that's something you should tell your wife, no matter how long ago it happened," Pauline shot back vehemently.

"If it's really that big a deal, why don't you and Lance have a kid to make it even?" Halt growled thoughtlessly, his accent slurring the words. "That's something you might like."


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Alright then, as always it seems with this story I thank Footloose Poets and SkittlesGal. They are seriously helping a lot when I get stuck. **

Pauline's hand met Halt's face for the second time that day, this time harder than last. Halt released hold of her to rub the sore spot. It stung terribly and he clenched his teeth to prevent himself from saying anything, most likely what were to be curses. By the time he'd gotten himself to ignore the feeling, Pauline was almost out of the bedroom. Halt hurriedly got in front of her to block the doorway.

"Move Halt," Pauline commanded and for a moment Halt was tempted to, feeling his cheek starting to sting again added to that temptation. Instead his stubbornness won out and he stayed still. "Halt, I'm done. If you're going to act like a child then this won't ever work," she said angrily. Her tone was dangerous, making it worse than her yelling at him. If it was rare for them to yell at each other, her tone of voice was something short of a phenomenon.

"I didn't want it to happen. I was drunk and young, I was stupid," Halt rambled, trying to get her to meet his eyes. He seemed to have lost his anger with the threat of her leaving. Halt didn't care if he was acting out, talking instead of yelling like would be expected of him, he just knew if she left it was over. He could feel anger starting to grow within him though and knew that if they kept at it he'd simply give up trying to stay calm. It was odd, instead of the fights strengthening his patience it'd stretched it even thinner.

"That's not even the problem Halt. The problem is that you never told me. Not to mention your thoughts with Lance and how you're acting worse than a child. Do you honestly think I would ever do something with him?" she fumed. Halt didn't answer as she locked her eyes onto his. "Goodbye Halt." She put up a hand to shove past him but Halt grasped her wrist loosely, not intending to hurt her but making a point for her to stay. Pauline simply glared at him and shook him free before pushing past him.

"Wait," Halt said and Pauline stopped. For a moment he expected her to turn around and slap him again but she simply turned around and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue. "Leaving isn't going to solve anything," he stated and walked up to her. The urge to hug her was stronger than he'd ever thought it could be, most likely due to the fact that he couldn't do that now. Even when they'd been fighting in the past she'd given him some attention whereas all he'd gotten since he'd arrived home was a brief hug.

"We've tried talking Halt, that didn't work. Now it's time to try something different," she answered in a forced voice.

"The reason we're here is because we're always apart. How is this going to solve anything?" Halt pressed, his voice gaining back its agitated tone. For some reason the thought of Pauline actually leaving didn't seem so attractive and since he wasn't the one to get emotional, he replaced the supposed to be sad feelings with anger.

"No, the reason we're here is because you're a child in a man's body and if you're going to stay like that then I don't want anything to do with you," Pauline snapped and went to turn around again. Halt grabbed her again.

"And you're not acting childish about Fianna?" Halt said pointedly, releasing his hold before she could find an excuse to hit him again.

"In case you haven't noticed, I haven't done one thing with Lance while you and Fianna had a kid and you didn't tell me, and don't bring up how long ago it was Halt. I have a reason for what I'm doing while you're accusing me for doing nothing," she answered angrily.

"I don't even know if there was a kid. It was once when we were drunk, chances are there isn't one," Halt argued, forcing himself to sound calm. It was harder than he thought it would be.

"You've had enough chances to see Halt. You could have found out before you married me," Pauline answered annoyed. It irked her greatly that Halt had done something like this and never mentioned it, but the fact that he'd never actually found out perhaps angered her more. This was especially since Halt kept going off about the nonexistent relationship between her and Lance. The problem with Fianna seemed a bit more notable than any false thing surrounding Lance.

"Well I suppose I'll find out soon enough," Halt snapped back and immediately wished he hadn't. So far he hadn't quite decided how to tell Pauline the mission, if at all, but he knew that any other timing would have been better than now. Pauline looked at him imploringly and a bit more than angry. There was no way he could bluff out of this. "Sean wants me. Apparently Fianna was high up in his inner circle and she's been kidnapped. He wants me to save her," Halt explained. Pauline glared at him.

"Another thing you decided not to tell me Halt." Her voice was like a whip and Halt could imagine it digging into his flesh by the sheer sharpness it held. At that point Halt felt a wave of anger race through him.

"You didn't exactly give me time to when you went to leave," he growled. "You were too busy yelling at me for having a kid that I might not have even had!"

"Well when you go to save her maybe you can try again. I'd love to see how long it takes you to explain that to me," snapped Pauline crossly. It occurred to her that she was doing exactly to Halt what he'd done to her about Lance and she found it fitting. The way he'd been going off like a child was getting to be tiring. Maybe if she showed him how ridiculous it sounded he'd stop.

"Why would I do that when I'm _happily _married?" Halt asked sarcastically, obviously not maturing any.

"Are you really Halt? You could have fooled me the way you've been showing it," Pauline said irately and Halt could sense a bit of hurt. He'd crossed yet another line he realized as the door to the apartment slammed shut with enough force to rattle his teeth.

**Again, sorry for the shortness and the seemingly never ending fights but I hope to move on next chapter. At least some...please review**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Well Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it:D Yes, some of you may have noticed I've posted quite a bit lately and that's because we have a break so I plan to get a fair amount done with it;)**

Halt stood where he was for a few moments trying to still his anger and resist the urge to flip the furniture. He was about to go after her, though why was still a mystery, when the door opened and Crowley admitted himself. Halt glared at him but the commandant took no notice of it and sat down.

"The messenger is on his way to Selsey, Duncan knows about the mission and I don't have to go back to Castle Araluen for a day more. I think this calls for some coffee," the commandant said cheerfully. "I'd say you could leave tomorrow morning, the messenger has gotten a fair start and they'll most likely already have vessels working for fishing and trading," he continued, unaware that Halt wasn't in any mood to talk. "You okay Halt?" the commandant asked when Halt didn't reply in his usual sarcastic way.

"Never better," Halt muttered as he took his own seat.

"Halt if the reason for this is Fianna, I'm sure Sean would understand if somebody else went," Crowley answered. It hadn't taken the commandant long to figure out Fianna was more than a friend and from Halt's state it was clear he'd told his wife. In response Halt let loose another glare.

"It doesn't matter; she's leaving tomorrow and ready to kill me now," Halt said after a slight pause. Crowley looked at his hands before looking back at Halt; this was the first time he'd actually been in Redmont when they were fighting. Usually he just heard it from Halt the next time he came around after inquiring about something different in the atmosphere. That or he'd hear it while keeping his ears open. Things like this didn't usually stay quiet; they tended to travel, especially when it concerned the Head Diplomat and a Ranger of legend. To say the least, he didn't know how to react to it or what to even say now.

"So why exactly is she ready to kill you?" Crowley asked, hoping to get more on Fianna. He wasn't trying to be nosy; it was his natural curiosity kicking in. If Halt didn't answer then Crowley wouldn't press the matter. And if by some miracle Halt did answer, Crowley most definitely wouldn't go blabbing about it anytime soon. If he did…well he liked the lack of arrows in him at the moment and preferred to keep it that way.

"Because I might have had a kid with Fianna and didn't tell Pauline until today," Halt answered dismissively, waving a hand to match his tone. He clearly wasn't paying attention to the conversation, only giving answers while his thoughts wondered.

Crowley fell silent; his eyebrows halfway up his forehead in surprise. It never really occurred to him that Halt would ever do something like that. In fact, he hadn't suspected Halt was ever able to like somebody more than a friend until he'd heard Halt and Pauline were to be wed. Halt just didn't seem like he would be capable of any kind of romance, the thought that Halt would even hold Pauline's hand seemed unrealistic. Crowley leaned back in his chair and masked his surprise.

"Recently?" the commandant questioned unwisely and received a look that suggested that was what Halt thought of him.

"No, when I was seventeen. The night before I left Hibernia I got drunk and…it happened," Halt responded, now paying attention and sounding like Crowley's question was as silly as one of Will's. He rubbed the corners of his eyes with his thumb and middle finger before leaning back like Crowley who was silent, trying to digest what had been said.

Halt's hatred for drunks was as widely known as the Ranger Corps. itself. That was the reason why Redmont didn't have a large problem with drunks. Halt had absolutely no tolerance for them and often dealt with them the way he judged worthy, ignoring the law. Even if he had been younger and most likely a lot different, Crowley couldn't see Halt taking one drink, much less enough to get drunk and be so stupid as to do what he'd done. After his display when Will was taken, it was clear that it didn't take much liquor to give Halt confidence. It wouldn't of taken all that much to get his mind to go completely foggy.

"Halt, if this is ruining anything between you two-" _I can help, _Crowley wanted to say but there really wasn't anything he could do so he left the sentence hanging.

"Things have been ruined for a while," Halt muttered mostly to himself. Crowley chose not to answer that, though he didn't really have anything to say. Halt's thoughts drifted away again and he began fiddling with the ring on his finger. Crowley watched him spin it for a minute before bringing his chair back to all fours. "Do you know where she is?" Halt asked when the commandant gave no response. He suspected Pauline would be in the infirmary but didn't think it'd be completely wise to go marching down there. It wasn't as if he would be greeted warmly. Pauline would be mad at him, Lance would most likely be mad at him and Lucas, the healer, wouldn't be gleeful that the Ranger had given him a new patient. Again.

"Halt, if things are as bad as they seem I think it'd be better for you to just leave it," Crowley suggested. Halt righted his own chair and raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"Judging by the fact I heard your door slam from the other end of the corridor, I'm guessing things aren't any better than when I last left you. It doesn't seem that you've fixed anything and I've known you long enough to bet you'll just be digging yourself in deeper if you go after her," Crowley explained.

"I didn't know you were a therapist as well as a Ranger," Halt grumbled and Crowley cracked a small smile.

"All I'm saying is that I think it's better for you to just back off for now. When she comes back tonight-"

"She won't be doing that," Halt interrupted but gave no explanation. Again Crowley could see he wasn't completely involved with the conversation.

"Right," Crowley said and stood up, it would most likely be better to just leave Halt to his thoughts.

The door swung shut behind Crowley and Halt stood to gather things for his mission. Preparing didn't do what he wanted it to do and only gave him more time to think. By the time he was done, the sun was hanging on the brink of the world, almost gone. Pauline hadn't come back yet. Part of him thought she would have as she always had but the door didn't open again. By the time Halt had made and finished his supper, she was still missing though he didn't know where she'd be staying unless Lucas had given her a place in the infirmary. He sort of wanted to go and find her but his stubbornness won out. He'd tried apologizing and she hadn't accepted it, if she wanted time apart then that's what he'd give her.

By the time he decided to retire to bed, it was rather late and he was about ready to lay on the floor and sleep.

**Okay, so here is where I ask you something: Nothing will really happen between now and when Halt gets to Hibernia so I was planning to just do a time lapse type of thing but do any of you want me to do a brief thing just outlining Halt's journey so it might not be confusing? Would it be confusing even? It'd basically be a really boring outline saying Halt got to Selsey in whatever amount of days then got to Hibernia and that's about it...Please review**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

A little over a week later Halt found himself being led into Sean's throne room by one of the knights that had stood guard outside. Halt had been asked to remove his weapons but stubbornly kept them; it was only because of an order from Sean, who had heard the ruckus inside, that Halt was allowed to maintain them. When the Ranger had been led to a bench in front of Sean's throne, the King waved the knight away and ordered the man beside him to follow. Once the heavy doors had shut Sean stood and seated himself beside Halt. This was something Halt admired in Sean, he didn't think of himself as high above others and therefore felt comfortable sitting beside Halt.

"Things have changed a bit since I sent that letter to Crowley," Sean said a bit nervously. Halt looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Fianna is still in captivity but those who captured her moved out of the northern kingdom. I've been in contact with King Neil and I believe that he was not willingly involved in the kidnapping. After the Outsiders left, Dun Kilty seems to have emerged as the savior; nobody has any reason to kidnap my inner circle or to lie about it afterwards. Trust me on my word there," Sean stated and Halt motioned for him to continue "They've moved Fianna to a small island off the coast a few miles north and out of my territory. King Neil has agreed to let me pass through unchallenged and unharmed in order to get her back," Sean explained. Halt frowned, it seemed Sean had this all figured out. The need of a Ranger seemed minimal at the moment.

"They're on an island; it should be fairly simple to surround them with boats full of knights and invade," Halt pointed out and Sean nodded.

"That was my original intent but the waters surrounding the island are perhaps the most violent I've ever seen. Rocks poke up everywhere and whirlpools form a few miles out from the island. The only way to reach the island is at low tide when there's a strip of sand to walk across. However, the tide comes in fast and the sand is pockmarked with quicksand, preventing any armed knights from getting across before the tide kills them. We've tried sending two knights on horseback but when they're loaded down with weaponry, they stand no chance," Sean went on. He was tapping his foot and Halt saw it as a clear sign that Sean was stressed out by his predicament. "Sources say there are only four people currently there: Fianna, the leader of the group and two captors living in a castle constructed forever ago. It's been abandoned since it's hard to strike a living out there but they've managed. There used to be a fifth man but we captured him when he came back for food supplies. Since then I suspect they're living off the clams you can gather at low tide on the sand path." Sean gave up trying to sit and began pacing; he wasn't wearing his regal clothing, so he looked like a stressed out strategist instead of a King thinking something out. He never really did wear the clothes unless he had to. Pacing had always been something that dented Halt's patience and he glared at his nephew.

"Creating a breeze won't solve anything," the Ranger muttered. Normally he would have lightened in Sean's presence as he was quite fond of the man but Halt was still in a rather dark mood. He'd tried forgetting Pauline but the only other option was to think about Fianna and that filled him with a bit of anticipation, something he wasn't fond of. He knew he'd changed since leaving Hibernia but was she any different? Was she mad at him? The questions went on and on and he really didn't want to think about that. In fact, he found himself wondering why he'd ever gotten involved in women, Fianna, Pauline and every other one.

"Sorry," Sean muttered and sat down obediently beside Halt again. The Ranger often found this amusing, Sean was the king yet he treated Halt as his superior.

"Well Abelard could most likely make it across the sand before the tide came back," Halt thought aloud. "But I'd need to know where those quicksand spots are," he added. Hearing of the quicksand reminded him of The Fens back in Araluen. There were many places to be sucked into the ground, maybe not sand but the same concept was there. Rangers were perhaps the only ones besides the Skandians that had ever mastered weaving through the area and even then one had to be careful, for one misplaced step could end you.

"You sure about Abelard?" Sean had no doubt Halt knew what he was talking about but he'd seen two of his men taken away by the swift and unforgiving water.

"I'd need to see the tide to be certain but Ranger horses have amazing speed. The only thing is the quicksand," Halt answered. "Also, do you know anything about the captors or the castle they're staying in?"

"I'll see if any of my men know something about the positions of the quicksand pits but no promises there. From what Neil told us, the leader is rather young, only about twenty or so from what I gather. Neil also mentioned that the leader is named Ryan, not that that helps much without a last name. He wasn't seen much; apparently he prefers to use his men to do business and they're good at it from what I've heard. All we know about the castle is that it's a mystery. Nobody has really dared to get across to investigate it. They must have had a close call getting across but I know that the man we captured came across unarmed so he wouldn't be waited down too extremely for his return trip," Sean rambled on and had to fight the urge to start pacing again.

"And where is this captured man?" Halt questioned. He didn't like the lack of information they were getting and something told him Sean was holding back.

"He took his life in the cell we put him in. I didn't know a man could kill himself with a fork," Sean answered in a frustrated tone. Maybe if it had been another time he would have laughed, for who would have known that an eating utensil could be so dangerous.

"So I'm going to ride across a strip of sand covered in random pockets of quicksand while a deathly tide comes at me onto an island inhabited by three people that just decided to kidnap someone from your inner circle?" Halt asked. It seemed rather odd and from the look Sean gave him, he knew there was more to it.

"I mentioned in my letter to Crowley that there was an atrocious ransom correct?" Halt nodded. "Well that hasn't changed," Sean said evasively. Halt threw him a questioning look. "First let me explain that I wouldn't be doing this if there was a better way. The night after our two knights lost their lives to the tide I received a letter. It was from Ryan and basically explained that there was no way Fianna was going to be set free without the ransom. I know it's foolish to believe that anything in that letter is true but I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"What's the ransom?" Halt snapped, annoyed by Sean's blathering. The King stood up again, ignoring Halt's withering glare as he started to pace once more.

"I've tried to offer them something else but I can't get a messenger across. I was hoping that if we deliver…the ransom then Fianna will be set free and you can handle yourself," Sean rattled on, ignoring Halt's comment to hurry it along. Stopping his pacing, to Halt's relief, Sean looked at his uncle and it was clear he didn't like what he was about to say. It almost seemed like he was ashamed. "You're the ransom Halt and I want to pay it."

**Okay first off: sorry if any of that was confusing, feel free to leave questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Second: so the inspiration for that island came from Piel Island. I was watching this show and only two people live there and the sand passage thing is real...sorry, just found that interesting;) Please review**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt's eyebrow shot up again as he crossed his arms and glared at his nephew. Sean started his insufferable pacing again and Halt followed his movements with his eyes.

"Honestly Halt, it's not as bad as it sounds," Sean rushed to say. "It just seems that the island is impossible to infiltrate and I want Fianna out alive. I know you'd be more than capable of taking those men down so if you go with me on this we'll hand you over and get Fianna back safely. When she's back all you have to do is deal with them, and let's face it, it won't be that hard. You're on an isolated island so they can't run away and I'm sure you'd be capable of handling them," said Sean.

Halt nodded, he'd seen the sense in it but wanted to see how Sean saw it. It was quite smart. The whole point was to get Fianna away safely then to take down the captors. It'd be hard to get onto the island, with or without being seen, and then proceed to try and save a captive and get away freely with the chance the captive would be killed. This avoided that by giving the captors exactly what they wanted and ensuring the hostage was safe. With somebody like Halt being the ransom, the abductors were in for a nasty surprise when his full plan went into operation. The only real challenge at this point would be planning it all out and trying to find the quicksand pits.

Once he got across the sand, hopefully without incident, Halt didn't know what he'd be waiting for. No doubt he'd be spotted coming and if they wanted him as ransom it was a total guess how they were going to treat him. It was possible that they would kill him on the spot, but it was also possible that they wanted him prisoner. Halt could think of dozens of enemies that would, and could, send men to capture him so they could either torture or kill him themselves. To say it was a risk was a bit of an understatement, but Halt could think of other situations where he'd been in worse predicaments. There was just one thing that bothered him…

"Why was Fianna kidnapped?" Halt questioned, only asking half of his question. The other half went along the lines of 'and why was I her ransom?'. As far as he knew nobody had found out about that night. Maybe it was pure coincidence but Halt still wasn't comfortable with it.

"Quite honestly Halt, I don't know. Not to badmouth her but there are quite a few other members of my inner circle that would be much smarter to take and that would fetch quite a price. She's newer as well; some Kings would simply let her stay and rot. However, she makes for good help and I refuse to let one of my own rot on some island with possible hostile men when I can do something. You being the ransom seems out of the ordinary as well. I understand that you have many enemies but I don't know why they'd believe I'd trade you for her. She does have a questionable past I suppose, maybe that has something to do with it," Sean mused, taking his seat once again. He'd decided to stop pacing as it was clearly annoying Halt. "Do you know anything about her?" Sean asked. Halt refused to let his uneasiness show through, instead adapting his usual grim expression.

"The name is vaguely familiar, I might have seen her once or twice during my life here," Halt lied and Sean seemed to except it without doubt.

"Very well, I suppose it's all in the mind of a villain. Most likely she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sean thought aloud aimlessly. He clapped his hands together and stood, replacing his features with a smile. Halt stood as well and Sean extended a hand towards him. The Ranger accepted it. "I won't be able to accompany you to the sand path tomorrow but I'll have my two most trusted men take you. They'll have to leave you to cross on your own as nobody else can be seen around there if we don't want the deal to go south. Good luck to you," he added and Halt nodded.

"See you when I see you," Halt answered before turning to leave.

* * *

The next day a few hours after noon Halt found himself looking out at a receding tide. It wasn't yet at a level that he could cross but it was getting there fast. The men Sean had sent with him had already left and now the Ranger was sitting atop Abelard trying to ignore the tad of worry making his hands restless. As it happened, nobody had known any positions of the quicksand pits, only that they were out there in quantity. He'd been sucked into pits in The Fens back in Araluen but he'd managed to get out with the help of Abelard. That'd only happened a few times though and it was because he was in a hurry to complete what he was doing. Now however, he didn't have the slightest clue where any of the quicksand might be and he wouldn't have time to pull himself out if he did get stuck. One mistake and he'd be drowning before he could get halfway out. From what he'd witnessed earlier, the tide came in faster than usual in other places and there was a fair bit of ground to cover.

"Right, let's get this over," Halt muttered, edging Abelard forward to the edge of the water. Abelard reacted instantly and tensed, ready to run when his master ordered him to.

Halt was tense himself, if he did make it across the sand alive then there was always the possibility he'd be shot down dead on the other side as fast as he could blink. He watched the last of the water leave the past, he hadn't wanted to go running across when there had been ankle deep water even though it would have saved time. Tapping Abelard's sides, they started off at a fairly fast pace. There was no way Halt could decipher where the pits were and it was only by pure luck Halt made it as far as he did which was halfway across the stretch. It happened so suddenly, at one point Abelard was sprinting along hitting solid ground. The next moment Abelard's feet were dragging and the ground was getting closer to the Ranger's feet. He could sense the panic in Abelard and it was rising in himself as well. The unnatural tide hadn't gone that far and was already deciding to return. He guessed they had about twenty minutes before it reached them again in full strength.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Halt stroked Abelard's head, signaling to the horse that he should follow his master's lead. Halt stayed sitting there longer than he would of liked and Abelard had sunk at least another inch. Halt watched as water began to lap around Abelard's legs and had a sudden idea. Clicking his tongue so the horse looked at him, Halt gave the signal he was about to teach Abelard something new. The horse's ears pricked up, telling Halt he was ready. First the Ranger reached down and patted the top of Abelard's front left leg. He then made a motion with his hands making it look like Abelard's legs pushing towards the center of his stomach like he would do to get through a tight space. Abelard shook his head and turned forward again.

It took a moment, in which Halt felt his small bit of worry growing, but eventually results began to show. As Abelard moved his legs there was a brief moment where there was a gap in the sand. The water coming closer rushed into the slit and loosened the grip of the sand. Eventually Halt saw that Abelard was moving much more freely and he tapped his mount's sides for him to move forward. It took a small tug but Abelard managed to scramble free of the muck. Once they were out, Halt had little time to celebrate. The water was coming faster and was already beginning to cover the ground shallowly. Frowning, Halt glanced at his surroundings, trying to see if there was a way to find the pits. He was about to give up trying and just charge blindly when he saw a small ripple a meter or so to his right. Turning in the saddle, Halt saw the same small rippling motion over the pit they'd just escaped. Now with a reference, the Ranger tapped Abelard again and sent him into a slow run. He couldn't risk getting stuck again so it was the best pace he could manage.

After the revelation, Halt was able to avoid most of the pits, he'd almost gotten stuck again but managed to switch Abelard's path at the last moment. He was about thirty meters away from the island, which only looked to be five miles long and the same wide, when the water reached a higher level. As they neared the other end of the strip Halt noticed the pits were getting fewer and fewer. The rise of the water was taking them out of view as well and Halt gave up trying to spot them, trusting that he'd get a little bit more luck. When he'd thought they were going to make it, Halt noticed Abelard was starting to trudge due to the water that was now halfway up his legs. Halt pressed him faster and they made it a few meters before he felt the water lapping around the bottom of his boots. Another bunch of meters and the water was hitting his ankles. Again he pressed Abelard faster but it didn't have much effect as the horse was struggling to keep his footing in the fast moving water and the strain was slowing him down.

They were only about ten meters away from the island when Halt realized they were in trouble. The water was up to his thighs now and Abelard was having a hard time, proof of this was how he was holding his head above the water and giving short grunts. They couldn't stop now so they continued on slowly while Halt tried in vain to think of a way out. There was nothing he could figure to do besides hope luck was still with them. However, as he felt Abelard stumble beneath him he knew that wasn't going to happen.

**Okay, that was a bit longer, please review**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Bralt Wannabe: Yes, I am completely aware that horses can swim, cows can as well. However, it's a last resort for them as far as I understand. They'd rather try walking than swimming. So if the water was rising like it did, Abelard would try walking before he tried swimming. And if the force of the water was strong enough (which it was, or at least I hope it seemed) and the quicksand pits were all around, Abelard does have an explanation as to why he stumbled (another thing a horse can do).**

The water surged around Halt in surprising strength, sweeping him off the back of Abelard who was trying ineffectively to stand again. Halt managed to get his head above water to gulp air into his lungs and it killed him to see Abelard give out a distressed neigh as he fought to keep his head above the surging mass. The Ranger was pulled back down but managed to keep his wits about himself and try to move towards Abelard. The salty water stung his exposed eyes but he paid it no heed as he fought the brute force of the unforgiving water. It was no use and Halt was swept away by the heaving seawater. His head came up again and he tried to gulp in more air but the water was quick and he only succeeded in getting a mouth full of water.

Again he tried to force his way to Abelard who no longer was able to touch the wet sand and made it close enough to grasp a strap from the saddle. Abelard was kicking to keep himself afloat in a sense and Halt forced his head to break above the liquid surrounding them. Abelard didn't pay him any attention as they were violently swept towards a sharp rock that stuck out from the surface. Water foamed around where it met the sea and made it look all the more dangerous. Halt saw the hazard at once and used what strength he had to divert them away from it. Abelard was still kicking and trying to get traction on something but Halt knew it was no use. The added weight of the saddlebags and himself kept dragging the duo down. If it kept on like this they'd eventually drown.

Thinking fast, Halt got a better grip with one hand on the saddle and used the other to remove his quiver. It was a bit more challenging than he'd expected but he managed it all the same. It killed him to throw it into the harsh waters but it had to be done. His bow followed with his knives but it wasn't enough. His cloak was preventing any quick movement as it was sopping wet and about the same weight as armor. Halt felt his heart wrench as he set it adrift. Still it wasn't enough as his boots were swamped and acting like weights. Kicking them off, he realized he was freer to maneuver. Turning his attention to Abelard's saddle, Halt thought of what he could do fast, but before he could do anything, they were swept sideways again. This time when they went under, the saddle was enough to keep them there for a few terrifying seconds. When Halt got himself above the water again, he was ready to just surrender. His limbs ached with the strain of holding onto Abelard and fighting the water and his lungs couldn't seem to get enough air. Added to that was the fact his head pounded with every movement because of a stray rock that had sought him out.

Flopping himself over the saddle in an attempt to get a bit of respite, Halt saw that Abelard was fighting to keep his head above the water. The horse clearly had not thought to give up and Halt shook himself, if Abelard was so determined then he would be as well. Shivering fiercely, Halt readjusted his grip to Abelard's mane and waited for a somewhat calm moment before taking a giant gulp of air and going under. Clinging onto his horse with one hand, Halt sought out the buckle of the saddle with his other. When he found it he was almost in need of more air but scrambled to undo it. By the time he'd completed that, his vision was getting fuzzy and not due to the salt in the water. Halt shoved the saddle away but didn't mourn it as he had a more pressing thought in his mind. He could feel unconsciousness beginning to greet him like an old friend. But he didn't want to greet this friend.

Halt went to shove himself above the rolling water once again but another brutal surge swept them away. Halt's grip on Abelard's mane wasn't enough to keep him with his horse and the Ranger felt himself being taken away. There was a short moment where he got a glimpse of Abelard who was struggling to keep his muzzle above the seawater. Halt had enough time to get another breath of air before he was thrust under once more but he knew he couldn't keep on like this. There was no chance of fighting the roaring water but if he kept with it then he'd get killed anyways. He debated for a moment whether to get back to Abelard but he'd only weigh the horse down and perhaps get them both finished. So the next time he got the chance to get above water, Halt glanced to see how far he was from the island. By some chance he'd managed to get a few meters closer but it wasn't enough to be absolutely promising.

Halt summed up what energy he had and forced his aching limbs to move him towards land. He'd only moved about a meter before he was swept into another rock that jutted out of the sea. There was a sharp pain in his chest and Halt had a feeling he'd snapped a rib. Gritting his teeth, Halt used his numbing legs to shove off the rock and get some momentum. Using the takeoff, he got another meter or so closer to land. By now he was ignoring all his thoughts and feelings. It was a simple need to survive that kept him going. Had he actually thought about what he was doing chances were he wouldn't be able to keep on.

The beating continued and Halt had a split running along his forehead, _at least_ one other broken rib, a headache that felt like he was slamming his head into a wall and who knew what else to add to his problems. How long he'd been fighting the raging water, Halt didn't know and didn't exactly care at the moment either. As he neared land he was able to get purchase on the ground. Each step was like fighting a battle in which he was losing. He didn't even bother to look down at himself; he knew he had more injuries than he'd first thought.

When he was completely free of the water, Halt turned around, wincing as he did so. His vision was foggy and he had to wipe his eyes, with quite a bit of pain, before he could see clearly. The water looked rather calm from here, rippling in a pleasant way. This only made Halt hate it all the more and he began scanning the water for any sign of his horse. The plan of desertion from Abelard had been the better of two options Halt knew. Either they could stay together and certainly drown or they could do what they'd done. By separating Halt knew he was leaving Abelard to deal with himself. A Ranger horse and Ranger had a strong bond and both would do anything to keep the other safe. By leaving Abelard Halt was making sure that the horse didn't have to watch out for him and could simply worry about himself. Maybe if he'd had more time, Halt would have thought of something better but at the time he'd decided it was the best option. However, as he looked out at the 'calm' water, there was no sign of Abelard and the Ranger felt a hole open in his chest. Surely if Abelard had gotten free on this side he'd have already come to Halt and if he were on the other side then he'd be standing there wouldn't he?

Maybe Abelard had suspected Halt to be dead and simply walked off to go back to Sean? Maybe he'd gotten swept away to another position on the island and was now waiting for Halt? Maybe...

Halt continued to make up excuses when his ever faithful friend didn't make an appearance. The wind whistled in his ears off the water, masking any other noise and making him shiver in his sodden clothes. Perhaps that was why he hadn't heard his attacker coming up behind him.

With a flaring pain in his temple, Halt collapsed onto the hard rocks of the island.

**I hope Halt seemed IC and I explained the reason for separation well enough and if you're confused, feel free to ask questions. Please review**


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"Nothing?" Sean questioned yet again.

Before him stood the two men that had accompanied Halt to the path. They'd gone to the nearest village to wait a few hours before returning to where they'd left the Ranger. Fianna had no means of getting away so it would have been an easy task to find her but they hadn't. There was nothing but the Ranger's tools lying on the sand in scattered positions. Of course, there had been the horse but…

"Nothing Your Majesty. We searched the entire coast just about. There was nothing to be found of her," Adrian stated. Sean ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He knew it'd been a risk giving Halt over but he'd at least hoped the villains would hold up their end of the bargain. Now they didn't have Halt, Fianna or any way of getting onto the island again.

"There's something else Your Majesty," Cole, the second man, said uncertainly. Sean had continually questioned them on the lost maiden but so far had not asked what of the Ranger.

"What?" Sean asked, seeming to gather his hopes. Maybe they'd spotted something important without realizing it.

"Well when we were searching for Fianna we found Ranger Halt's gear along the coast. It was scattered about, not as if he left it there," Cole stated quickly. There was no sense in drawing the news out. Sean froze, Halt had assured him Abelard could make it but what if they'd run into complications? The King wasn't ready to believe it. If Halt was out there alive there was one way to tell. "There was no body though," Cole added before Sean could speak. The King thought for a minute, that didn't matter much, the tide could have easily dragged Halt out to sea to deposit his corpse someplace else. They still hadn't found the bodies of the two knights that had tried passing before Halt had been called. So no body wasn't something to get hopeful about.

"And his horse? Did you by chance see a horse?" Sean queried in anticipation. The look his men gave him was enough to dash the rest of his optimisms into dust.

"Yes. There was a horse. However Your Majesty, he had two broken legs. He was clearly in pain and, as you know, a horse with _one_ broken leg is no good. Even if we could have done anything there was little chance so we put him out of his misery," Adrian said consolingly and Sean could see he wasn't happy about it. Despite the fact Sean disapproved a little of the action, he knew it was smart. Abelard had been in pain and there hadn't been a way to get him back to Dun Kilty for help. Though little help could have been provided.

Sean slumped in his throne. Had he been up to it, he'd have started pacing, but he was too busy thinking of what this meant. Halt wouldn't have left Abelard, or any of his gear for that matter. If what his men were saying was true, there was little chance Halt was living. Perhaps Halt had gotten to the island? Sean didn't think so, Halt had been riding Abelard and from the outcome it was clear that the tide had gotten to them. Sean had seen the crushing power of it, there was no way a man, legend or otherwise, could have made it. There was a small possibility but Sean had learned that as a King, those small possibilities couldn't count as anything. Sitting up slightly, Sean composed himself, he could mourn later but those in Araluen needed to know.

"Thank you for your services, you are dismissed," he ordered the two men. Adrian and Cole bowed before making their exit. Before the door could shut fully, a small man slipped in.

"Bring me the scribe, Jensen," Sean ordered. Jensen nodded and slipped back out of the room, leaving Sean thinking of ways to make the news sound better than it was.

* * *

The first sensation Halt had coming back to the waking world was one of severe pain all over. He realized he was leaning up against something, most likely a wall from the cold and solid feel. Someone was tending to something on his head but the focus of pain was in his chest that hurt indescribably. Damp clothes added to his discomfort. With every intake or outtake of air the feeling was agonizing and didn't seem to be fading any. Halt thought it'd be smarter to just stop breathing but, of course, he found that there were some complications with that plan. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing slow so whoever was caring for him didn't know he was awake. However, this was causing the pain to drag on in his chest. Halt felt something being bound around his head and remembered the gash that he'd gained. When that was done he heard a sigh then whoever it was lifted his shirt and started feeling where his ribs were. Halt sucked in air sharply but the helper didn't notice.

"Stop," he muttered painfully as the prodding continued. He tried to shift but the ribs he suspected were broken prevented him. Instead he gave a grunt of pain.

"Halt?" The Ranger stopped trying to move and even breathing for a moment. He hadn't heard that voice in forever but he could still identify it with ease. Just to make sure, Halt opened his eyes quickly. Nobody was in his vision but it only took a moment for his caretaker to show herself.

"Don't do that again," he said in a tight voice, leaning his head against the wall behind him. Breathing was still painful and Halt knew that he wouldn't be able to move any time soon. Fianna let his shirt back down and backed away from him to inspect him from a standing position.

He'd changed in looks over the years. His hair was cut more untidily cut and gaining in grey while he'd lost some of the fat that came with living like a prince. Not to mention the scars that covered him in various spots from random incidents.

She, however, was only a little different. Her light brown hair had its own streaks of grey and was showing the effects of being held captive but still flowed over her shoulders like he recalled. Her features and figure were virtually the same as when he'd last seen her as well, give or take a few minor tweaks. The only big difference he could see was in her eyes. They were still the soft green of a leaf in the forest, something Halt had enjoyed as he had always been confined to the bleak walls of Dun Kilty, but the smile that resided in them seemed to be hiding something.

"Why are you here?" he asked, ditching his thoughts. A frown creased his features. Hadn't the whole point of him coming to this island been to get her out?

"Not the best apology for leaving me after that incident," she answered accusingly as she crossed her arms and glared at him. Halt knew she wasn't all that angry though; he could see the spark of curiosity in her eyes and realized that she most likely didn't know why he was here.

"I'll explain that later, right now I want to know why you're still here," Halt pressed and grimaced as he shoved himself into a better sitting position.

"Well I'm on an island inside an abandoned castle's dungeons being held against my will; I don't exactly have any place to go," Fianna replied sarcastically. It wasn't like Halt's usual sarcastic comment that left the victim feeling a tad stupid however, it seemed like she was joking with him. "I'm still waiting for that apology as well."

"I think you owe me an apology. If I remember correctly, it wasn't my idea to get drunk," Halt said with a scowl that reflected his pain. His head was pounding and he was beginning to feel sick from the way it spun. Not to mention the constant agony of his ribs. "How long was I out?"

"About a day I'd say. They brought you in yesterday afternoon I'd guess and threw you on the floor. I was asleep then and when I woke up you were still lying there. At first I thought you were dead but you were breathing so I placed you here and tried to figure out what was wrong with you. You aren't bleeding anymore but I don't recommend trying to swim across at high tide again," she went on. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't plan on taking a swim, I was almost across when the tide started on back and…," Halt trailed off, he still didn't know the fate of his horse and could only hope that he was safe.

"Which brings us back to why you're here in the first place," Fianna stated. She uncrossed her arms and took a seat beside Halt. Said Ranger felt she was a little too close but couldn't do anything about it. Though he wouldn't admit it, he didn't mind it that much. His thoughts went briefly to Pauline but he quickly dismissed it. She didn't seem to want him anymore and she had Lance. Besides that, he wasn't doing anything with Fianna. In fact, he hadn't even planned on seeing her.

Before Halt could say anything, the door, which was on the wall to Halt's left, opened and two men stepped in. Fianna straightened beside Halt but didn't protest any as one approached and grabbed Halt by the arm. He then proceeded to haul the Ranger onto his feet. Halt clenched his teeth and made a sound similar to a growl as his ribs were jostled. If the pain had been indefinable sitting down then this was almost unreal. It felt like he was lying on the ground while the King's Cavalry trampled over him with armored fat men sitting upon the horses instead of knights.

"Get moving," the man snarled and released Halt. With nobody supporting him and the agony racing through him and making him unable to stand, Halt almost collapsed back to the ground. Now unsuitably furious, the man grabbed Halt by the scruff of his neck before he hit the ground. The guard started to shove Halt towards the door but this time he kept a grip.

As they exited the cell, Halt closed his eyes tightly trying to ignore the searing pain. He didn't know how long it took or where they went, but eventually he felt them stop. The urge to throw up from his anguish was strong but he managed to keep everything down. Despite the stop, Halt kept his eyes clenched shut and his arms flexed. It helped somewhat in releasing his tension.

"Open your damn eyes," a male voice said as a strong blow to the side of Halt's head made him repeat his growl. Normally Halt wouldn't have opened his eyes but this time he knew he couldn't take many more hits. His head had already been throbbing and now it was unimaginable pain all over. He forced his eyes open and tried to glare at the other man through his swimming vision.

"You no good little son of a-"Halt started, his words slurred.

"Careful you might insult yourself."

**It's a bit of a confusing last line but if you read Halt's words it'll make more sense I think. Please review**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters however I do own two roles of awesome Christmas Duct Tape!**

Halt forced his eyes to focus on the man before him. He had a youthful face with short black hair. His eyes were green and he stood about the same height as the Ranger himself. There was a fierce glint in his eyes and Halt noticed that his hand was placed on the pommel of his sword, as if he was prepared to dispatch of the Ranger. Shifting a little and regretting it, Halt blinked back his fogginess and tried to sort through his confusion. Maybe if he'd been able to think clearly the meaning in the sentence would have showed itself but nothing came at the moment. Before Halt could say anything, the man looked at his companion that was holding the Ranger.

"Release him," the man snarled and the one that had held Halt released him. Halt almost collapsed. The lack of something to lean on forced him to support himself and it hurt almost as bad as when he'd woken. Refusing to let anybody see more weakness in him, Halt gritted his teeth and tried to deal with it. "Leave," he ordered and the two men obeyed silently.

For a while the man seemed content to simply observe Halt. The Ranger was fighting to stay upright and keep himself from emptying his stomach onto the cold floor. His head spun sickeningly and throbbed as if it wanted to simply split in half. It felt like an eternity of pain, though it couldn't have been more than a minute or so, before the man decided to speak.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just throw you back into the tide and watch your body get torn apart by the rocks," he said evenly as he crossed his arms and leaned against a desk, the only furnishing besides a chair in the room. Halt glared at him for a second. He'd never seen whoever this was. The eyes were familiar but through the pain in his throbbing head he couldn't figure out why. The light from an almost gone sun came in through two large windows to the right and highlighted the man's face. It was a mask as far as Halt could tell and there was nothing to suggest he was bluffing about the tide either.

"I don't know you," Halt answered in as strong a voice as he could. Confusion still swarmed within him but he had an uneasy feeling that he knew who this was. Halt's response seemed to anger the man and he pushed himself off of the desk and stepped towards Halt. He was only about two inches from the Ranger's face and could hear Halt's pained breathing.

"How about you introduce yourself first then," he drawled. Halt noticed he had a heavy accent, proof that he'd lived in Hibernia his whole life. Hate radiated from Halt's eyes as they met his captor's and he refused to answer. A cruel smile came upon the man's lips as he leaned back from Halt and began to pace in a circle around the Ranger. Halt tried to follow him with his eyes but it hurt his head. "Very well, I see you wish to stick with your poor manners. How about I go first then?" he said as he came back to lean against the desk. His eyes never left Halt and he noticed that the Ranger's eyes immediately locked onto him. "I go by the name Ryan." This was nothing new. Halt recalled Sean mentioning that the leader's name was Ryan. "Oh yes, I forgot! You really _don't _know me," Ryan continued as if it was a sudden realization. "Well I suppose that's what happens when you make like a coward and run away. Let me give you my full name. I'm Ryan O'Callaghan, rightfully Ryan O'Carrick."

Halt froze and let one eyebrow inch its way up. His confusion was gone now as he realized that the eyes, though fiercer on Ryan, looked almost exactly like Fianna's. Ryan watched as Halt surveyed him again, this time a bit more carefully. When he'd decided enough time had passed, Ryan cleared his throat. Halt met his gaze again, hiding everything behind a mask.

"Have anything to say for yourself?" Ryan growled. His hand was back on the pommel and Halt had a feeling that he'd use it if he was angered enough.

"Why did you take her?" Halt said. His voice came out quiet, a bit from shock and a bit from pain. Ryan shoved himself off the desk once more to stand before Halt.

"You wouldn't have come otherwise. You're a cowardly fool. You left because you didn't want to deal with the problems your mess up made and the only way to get you back was to get her," Ryan snapped. It was obvious from his tone that he wished nothing more than to be rid of Halt.

"That's not why I left," Halt said a bit stronger than before. Sure, it was commonly known among his friends and some in Hibernia that Ferris had tried to kill him but to all others it simply seemed Ferris had tricked Halt out of the throne and Halt had taken off. It had always been known that the prince hated being royalty. And then there was Fianna and apparently Ryan who believed that he'd run away because of his mistake.

"No, of course not. It was the prospect of being a father that eventually changed your mind," Ryan said mockingly. Halt glared at him. He didn't know what to do exactly and therefore was treating it somewhat like any situation where he'd been captured. Though in other situations his captor hadn't been his son and his prison mate hadn't been his 'wife'.

"What are you going to gain by capturing me?" Halt asked to keep Ryan talking. He'd noticed that the grip on the sword had tightened.

"I gain the satisfaction of knowing your dead for leaving before we were born and killing my twin," Ryan said, almost yelling. Halt realized that his question hadn't been the right answer but he didn't make any movement towards apologizing. Instead he watched Ryan carefully. The note about the twin made his insides churn. Had he really fathered not one but two sons? "We came to find you when she told us. It was four years ago," Ryan started, a bit more calm but not by much. "He was drunk and you killed him." Ryan searched Halt's eyes angrily.

Through the excruciating pain in his head Halt couldn't find the memory of killing a young drinker. The effort made his head spin faster and he almost fell. The slight movement he'd made caused his chest to remind him that it was possible for it to hurt more and he bit back a yell. When Halt managed to get himself under control the corners of his vision were fuzzy.

"How was I supposed to know?" Halt's voice was little more than a whisper and he wished that it'd been inaudible as Ryan's fist made contact with his head.

Halt was already unsteady on his feet and the blow to the side of the head was enough to knock him off balance and send him towards the floor. Halt hit with a thud and this time did cry out as his mind went blank with the pain of his head and chest. Balling his fists up, Halt clenched his teeth and tried to take a deep breath but it was impossible to do with broken ribs. It was made even more so when Ryan delivered a kick to his ribcage for good measure.

"Well if you'd decided to stay around long enough maybe you would have known," Ryan barked.

Halt was still recovering from the kick and didn't hear his son. Where Ryan's foot had made contact with Halt hurt worse than anything Halt could think of at the moment. Then again, he couldn't exactly think about anything right now. Moving hurt too much so Halt lay there, half conscious from pain and drowning in it.

The only thing that broke through the agony was the sound of a sword coming out of its sheath and then Halt felt nothing.

**If that was confusing in any way I am open to questions. Please review**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Bralt Wannabe: Water is very turbulent and cruel sometimes, as it was when Abelard and Halt were separated. Water has the power and the strength to slam you into things and that's basically what happened. Yes, Abelard could swim, so could Halt but have you ever been swimming in extremely forceful water? Neither have I but I can't imagine it'd be simple. You'd sustain major injuries. Halt got the busted ribs and Abelard got the broken legs. Now when I saw the scene of Abelard and Halt getting separated, I went on with the thought of Abelard (though I didn't write it) and I saw him getting smashed into some of those rocks that were sticking out. Added to that, he would be flailing about and whatnot and that would have just gotten him hurt more. So I think it was quite believable that Abelard ended up with two broken legs. Whether or not you do is another matter but I think I did rather fine on that. I mean I could have made all of his legs broken or have him drown or have the rocks tear him to shreds.**

"Crowley!" a voice called across the courtyard. Said Ranger stopped in his tracks and turned to see a young messenger shoving through the large crowd. By the time he'd reached the commandant he was out of breath. Crowley hid a grin. "This…this came a few minutes ago and Master Gregory told me to give it to you," the boy finally stuttered out.

Crowley nodded his thanks as he took the letter. After the Siege at Macindaw he'd been busy setting up stations in port towns for letters to be delivered by birds. It saved time when other countries needed to send letters and kept him updated on what was happening along the coast without him having to send men out. The messengers could get to the coast and simply send the bird on the rest of the journey while he'd appointed the leader of the towns to send him reports every month or so. Looking down at the folded parchment Crowley saw it was from Hibernia.

"Send him my thanks," Crowley said distractedly. The boy nodded and headed off the way he had come.

Frowning, Crowley hurried up to his study. It wasn't unusual to get updates from the other countries about how they were faring but this nagged at him. The only thing Sean would be sending a letter about now would be Halt's mission and that didn't rest easy with the commandant.

When he reached his office he plunked down into his chair and ripped the seal off the letter. Skimming it first, Crowley only made it a quarter of the ways down before he forced himself to reread it. When he did he was no less shocked. Setting it down, Crowley steepled his fingers under his nose and leaned back in his chair before exploding in curses.

Leaning back on his chair legs, Crowley looked at the letter again. It had details about the mission Halt had gone on but he skipped over that to where Halt was the main focus. The entire letter was in the elegant font of a scribe but this paragraph was written in Sean's scrawl. And from the shaky lines it was clear he'd been in real distress writing it.

Crowley crashed forwards again in the chair and ran a hand over his face and into his hair. When he removed his hand it was damp and he felt the same wetness on his face. He almost flipped his desk in anger but refrained and took a few steadying breaths. The best way to deal with this was rationally. One thing Crowley had learned about being commandant was that you couldn't let personal things mess up your thinking, even if it was as big as this.

Crowley unclenched his hand and laid the now crumpled letter out on the desk. He ran a shaking hand over it a few times to smooth it out before folding it and placing it in his pocket. The commandant then stood up to leave, the death of Halt wasn't something that could wait to be shared.

* * *

The first sensation was extreme pain. It came with the slow raising and lowering of his chest and for a moment Halt wanted to go back to whatever painless state he'd been in. His head throbbed excruciatingly with each heart beat and that added to his want. Forcing an eye open, Halt realized he was lying on the floor of the damp cell he'd been in before. It smelled of mold and the air was dank as well. There wasn't much to see by the torchlight as the cell was basically empty besides the dead bodies of rats. Using the wall to his left as something to help him, Halt managed to get himself into a sitting position. The movement hurt like hell but it was a bit better now, though that wasn't saying much. As his head spun, Halt felt his gut clench as he tried to throw up but nothing came out and only now did he realize how hungry he was. By the time he'd forced his stomach to calm down; his ribcage was throbbing in even more pain.

"Glad you've decided to join me again," Fianna said as she stepped out of the shadows in the back of the cell. Halt raised his head to look at her and she took a seat next to him. He hurt so much he didn't even try to move sideways to get away from her close proximity. "You've been out for at least half a day," she added before he could ask. Halt went to nod but stopped himself in time. He remembered his talk with Ryan and was tempted to tell her but he wasn't sure how. He didn't even know if she knew that he'd found out about the twins. She might even already know about Ryan. Deciding to wait for the right time, Halt stayed silent. "You never did get the chance to tell me why you're here," she mused, snapping Halt out of his thoughts.

"Sean sent me to help you out," Halt answered in as few words as he could. His head and chest hurt and talking wasn't helping anything.

"That turned out well," Fianna said teasingly.

"I'm not done yet," he responded. Fianna smiled at his determined tone.

"Well I don't think you'll be trying anything soon looking like that," she stated and motioned towards a large rip in the fabric of his shirt. Through it you could see bruises that looked like they came from the cavalry running Halt over. Among the bruise was an array of cuts and gashes. Halt studied it a moment before looking raising his head to stare forwards again. "So what's this about?" Fianna asked as she rubbed her hand down Halt's arm soothingly until it reached his hand. She intertwined their fingers and held up his hand so he could see the ring that was on one of his digits.

Instead of looking at the ring, Halt watched Fianna bring their hands back down to rest on his thigh. He knew he wasn't supposed to be doing this, everything inside him told him to get his hand free but he kept it there. Though he mostly wanted to wrestle his hand free, there was a part of him that felt sorry. He had left Fianna with twins to look after and no real reason as to why he'd left. He was actually a bit surprised she wasn't yelling at him for leaving. He was deep in thought when he realized he still hadn't answered her.

"The match to this," he muttered and used his free hand to pull Pauline's ring out of his pocket. He studied it for a moment, lost in thoughts.

Maybe if Pauline were wearing it this moment instead of him holding it, Halt would have felt far guiltier than he did. It wasn't that he didn't feel guilty now; it was just that it didn't dig into him as much as it should have. The fights over the past months had clearly put a dent in their relationship and he'd tried to fix it but to no avail. Now it just seemed that guilt was another emotion he was having that would come and go. Then again, guilt often worked like that. It would just be a simple pestering feeling at the beginning but when all was over it became a beast that ate away at the mind.

It was ridiculous to think all was lost with him and Pauline but when a rather pretty woman was at his side with no visible ill feelings towards him and a rather…nice past, it was easy to convince himself everything _was _gone. However, as happens all the time with thoughts like these, Halt didn't see what might happen in the future when everything was decided for worse or for better. Whatever the case may be, Halt let himself give in a little bit now. It wasn't like they were doing anything spectacular at the moment.

"Halt," Fianna said in a tone that suggested he'd ignored her the first few times she had spoken. Halt slipped Pauline's ring back in his pocket and tightened his hand around hers in acknowledgement of her words. Fianna was smiling but Halt didn't return it. Even if he was the smiling type, he wouldn't have as his head was still burning with pain and his chest decided to let him know it was still in agony as well. "You know, I think it was a lot easier to get you to smile when you were younger," she said with a mock scolding tone.

"Didn't know as I smiled that often back then," Halt said thoughtfully. In all truth he didn't remember what he had been like. No doubt he hadn't been social with most people and he hadn't had many friends but other than that it all seemed like a blank. It made sense though, after leaving Hibernia Halt had tried to bury that part of his life in the depths of his mind. Apparently it had worked rather nicely.

"You didn't," Fianna said amusedly. "I think the only time you ever showed any emotion was when this happened."

Before Halt knew what was going on, Fianna had leaned closer to him and placed her lips on his.

**I think Crowley was a bit underdone and I know for a fact that Halt was OOC but please review.**

**Oh and if I don't update on this for a while it's because I'm working on a Christmas surprise for y'all.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Without thinking, Halt returned the kiss. He'd been caught unawares and by the time he gathered his wits about him it was all over. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed the contact but the guilty side of him gave him a particular jolt and he released Fianna's hand. Though he wasn't gripping it anymore, her hand still lay on top of his, something else he didn't mind much but knew he should. He still couldn't think clearly and his head seemed to be in a fog. Even the throbbing pain he felt coursing through him was dimmed. Something had to be said but he couldn't find any words. What was he even supposed to say? He hadn't hated it though he truly should have and might have even enjoyed it if Pauline wasn't a constant thought in his head at the moment. Not to mention he'd already convinced himself that things were lost with the diplomat so some of him considered this a good thing. To say the least, he was thoroughly confused as to what to do or what to even think. Maybe if it'd been before his fights with Pauline he would have done something to make sure it didn't happen again but to be honest he wouldn't mind if it did. Halt swiveled his gaze to look at Fianna who had rested her head on his shoulder. She met Halt's eyes without hesitation and smiled.

"I suppose that's as close to a smile as you're going to get," Fianna stated and Halt realized he had perhaps half of a half of a smile on his lips. He immediately wiped it from his features though it didn't do much to hide the fact she knew he'd liked the attention.

"We have to get a plan to escape," Halt responded, reverting to his more serious attitude, he had no clue how to respond to what had just happened and therefore decided not to. Despite the change in voice, he rewrapped his hand around Fianna's and didn't try to get her to move away.

"Why Halt? I know being stuck in this cell isn't ideal, but I think it's better than being in the midst of everything. You always said how you just wanted to disappear and it's clear from the way you fiddle with your ring sometimes that your life isn't amazing. Well here's your chance. Maybe we can strike a deal with our captors and get more comfortable living conditions. You have to admit, this castle is rather nice and most definitely away from anything," Fianna said softly. She said it so convincingly that Halt almost believed her. It did sound rather appealing actually. If he could just step out of the fights with Pauline, the danger of being a Ranger and the threat of enemies seeking revenge, why not? It wasn't as if he'd be alone or with somebody whom he hated. Who knew, maybe he could even get Ryan to forgive him.

No.

That was ridiculous and Halt knew it was just fanciful thinking. He had a great life in Araluen…right? He'd left Hibernia for more reasons than just his brother and built a life in Araluen that some might have killed for. Even so, Halt had to mentally yell at himself to snap out of thinking how he might propose a deal with Ryan.

"Fianna." The name came through with a hint of a Hibernian accent attached to it. "Before we do anything I want to know something," Halt said carefully, changing the subject once again. There was a brief pause in between some of his words, as if he was thinking through it as he went. Fianna caught onto his tone and pauses as worry flitted across her face. Halt didn't want that, in fact he was just trying to inquire about Ryan and his twin. As if to reassure her, Halt squeezed her hand. The result was a smile from her and Halt took that as a go on. "What happened with the twins?"

Fianna stopped smiling and Halt could see sadness creeping into her eyes. Though the thought to tell her to forget about it crossed his mind, Halt wanted to know. They were after all his kids and he'd apparently killed one without any knowledge of it. That was something else that gnawed at his conscious. He'd learned long ago not to trust the word of a captor but this was different. He could see the similarities in himself and Ryan added with the eyes of Fianna so he was positive Ryan was his. The only thing he was unsure of was the twin. He'd tried to remember killing drunks but there was more than one time he'd done it. And on most occasions he'd been perfectly within the law because knights often turned out to be angry drunks that attacked anybody that tried to take their drink. The memory of one particular drinker would be hard to pick out, especially with a head that protested every time you tried to think too hard.

"You would have been proud Halt, they were wonderful," she said so softly Halt almost missed it completely. "Felix was almost an exact replica of you and Ryan was only different because of his eyes. After you left I didn't tell anybody and it was quite easy to simply fade away. Most thought that I'd disappeared with you. I wanted to find you Halt but I didn't know where to start, you made yourself quite hard to follow. The first time I found out you'd gone to Araluen was when you came back to deal with Ferris."

"Why didn't you see me then?" Halt asked. It was clear she didn't want to talk about Ryan or Felix so he didn't press. He also didn't tell her that Ryan was the one keeping them here.

"Think about it, what would you have said or even done? Nobody knew where I was and that was perfectly fine. Besides, I didn't think you needed something else to worry about when you had The Outsiders to deal with," Fianna scooted another inch closer to him and rested her head farther up his shoulder.

"I didn't leave because of anything you did," Halt stated, remembering Ryan seemed to believe that's why he didn't have a father.

"I know Halt, you wouldn't have done that," Fianna whispered. Halt felt her warm breath wrap around his neck and fought back a smile.

"Do Felix and Ryan know that?" Halt blurted, forgetting he'd dropped the topic of them. Fianna didn't show any sign of getting upset again however.

"I don't know Halt; they formed their own opinions as far as I can tell. I told them about you when they were sixteen and the next day they were nowhere to be seen. I think they may have gone to find you, how they figured out where you might be is beyond me. I tried to find them but it was impossible. About three months later a trader ship captain came asking about them. The ship ran into trouble and went down. They were close enough to shore that some of the men made it but nobody had seen Felix or Ryan. I took that to mean they were gone." She was so quiet Halt had to strain to hear the words and when he did, a rock settled into his gut. Ryan's story checked out. It didn't matter if they hadn't been seen after the vessel went down; rarely did that ever tell the whole tale.

Before Halt could say any more, the door to the cell opened and the two guards walked in again.

"It's fine," Halt said softly as he felt Fianna tense. To make sure there was no reason for them to hit her, Halt released her hand and shuffled painfully to the side.

By the time one guard had gotten to Halt Fianna was about two meters away. Halt hadn't been able to move more than a few inches but Fianna had seen no sense in promoting violence and moved as well. Halt bit back a yell as the guard grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to his feet to begin the painful walk like before.

**I personally think Halt was waaaaay OOC but he had to be for what I plan to happen and all. So if you could just let that slip by...please review. Oh and again I thank SkittlesGal for helping**


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**FarmersDaughter: First off, thanks for all the reviews you've left. In reference to your question, I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. Yes, some wouldn't mind but some would. All I said was that they were promised away and some took that to mean marriage, even before the ceremony or anything you see? Even if they were married, I don't think Halt would be all that proud of himself for sleeping with Fianna that young. Not to mention he was drunk. And if I were Halt or Fianna's parents I would most likely be pretty ticked if I found out. So again, I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. I hope that helped.**

When Halt reached the room where Ryan was again he was in about the same shape as before. The only difference was he'd figured out how to stand rather comfortably. The trick was to keep his abdomen almost perfectly straight. The guards were dismissed and Halt stayed silent. On the desk was a plate with bread, cheese and what looked to be a jug of water. Halt felt his stomach growl.

"Sit," Ryan ordered and motioned towards a chair that had been brought in to face the desk. Halt didn't move. "I said sit down," Ryan growled and Halt did as he was told, making sure not to bend too much when he sat. Ryan seemed to be studying him as he leaned against the wall. Early morning light was starting to drift in to the room through the windows and Halt was getting uneasy about how much time he'd been spending unconscious.

"Why don't you let her go?" Halt muttered after a while. It was obvious Ryan wanted him to do something but there wasn't much he could do.

"I will when the time comes," Ryan responded curtly.

"There's no sense in keeping her here, you've already got me and, as you can surely see, I'm not exactly able to make a getaway," Halt added. Ryan smiled grimly.

"True, but with her here I know you won't try anything," Ryan answered. "Now eat." Halt didn't move to do so. "Fine but it's your fault if you starve to death. It honestly won't be a hindrance to me." Halt still didn't go to eat though he knew he'd give in soon. In different conditions he might have thought the food poisoned but Ryan wouldn't be that subtle in killing him. If death was the only thing coming to him from Ryan then Halt knew it would be by blade.

"Why not kill me now?" Halt asked to keep conversation going. He'd learned that the more you talked to a captor, the more likely they were to let something slip.

"I'd bet you'd like that," was the only response. "Now hurry up if you're going to eat," he snapped.

Halt figured there was no sense in continuing the conversation if he wasn't going to gain anything from it. Even if Ryan did slip up, there wasn't much he could say that would help anything. They were on an island with virtually no escape; one bit of information wasn't going to change anything. So, under the watchful eye of Ryan, Halt began eating. The bread was stale, the cheese on the bad side and the water was salty but it was better than nothing. When he finished, Ryan tied a black cloth around Halt's eyes so he couldn't see. Halt was pulled out of the chair and felt his hands being bound behind his back. He was getting a bit worried but hid it rather well. Maybe he would have struggled if his ribs were in their usual condition but it hurt to move and breathe, to fight would be suicide.

"Don't try anything," Ryan snarled in Halt's ear and he felt a sharp point in the middle of his back. Ryan grabbed Halt by the arm and began to lead him someplace.

Halt stumbled quite a bit, especially going down stairs, and each time Ryan dug the knife a little deeper. By the time they stopped Halt felt a trickle of what he assumed to be blood running down his back. There was the sound of rusty hinges and then a blast of fresh morning air. The sun, now a bit higher, penetrated the blindfold with its light and Halt had to close his eyes. They walked a bit more across wet grass; Halt could feel the early morning dew soaking his feet and resisted the urge to shiver against the morning chill.

"Surprise," Ryan said in a voice as menacing as a snake. He whipped Halt's blindfold off and the Ranger blinked a few times before seeing what Ryan had brought him to.

Before him stood a tall post, and though it was clearly weathered by age, it looked as sturdy as anything. Halt felt his blood run cold as he realized it was a whipping post. For a second he considered turning and running or doing something, but with a knife at his back and in his current condition there wasn't much chance of him making it. He'd been whipped before and that was the reason for his current nervousness. The last time he'd been whipped was about four years after his arrival in Araluen and it'd been for ignoring the law during a mission. It'd only been five lashings then because the infraction had been minor and the punishment only dealt out because of a fussy noble. Though it'd only been five lashes, Halt recalled the searing pain and couldn't even comprehend what it might feel like in his current state.

"What's this going to do?" Halt asked. His voice was sharp due to his uneasiness. Nobody, no knight, Ranger, king, or commoner could be protected from the torture a whip could bring. Mayhap he'd have been calmer if it was in Araluen for a crime but now he was in a basically lawless place with a grief and revenge driven son dealing him the lashes.

"Well usually it causes harm, I don't think this will be any exception," Ryan said in a sick kind of humor. He fastened Halt's hands to the post, stuffed the blindfold in the Ranger's mouth then proceeded to cut the remnants of the Ranger's shirt off. Halt grimaced more than once as the blade skimmed him in bruised places and left shallow cuts.

"Jeffery!" Ryan yelled from behind Halt. Halt tried to turn his head but his headache had returned in astonishing strength and instead he leaned his forehead against the post and braced himself for what was to come. "Give me the whip," Ryan ordered and Halt figured Jeffery was one of the large thugs used as servants.

Halt tensed up, numbing his senses as much as he could and forcing his mind to go as blank as it could. This was the preparations he did anytime when he knew pain was going to come on. He waited a few moments but nothing happened. He was about to call out something when what felt like several rows of sharpened teeth tore into his back. Halt inhaled sharply then coughed from the pain in his chest. He'd underestimated how much it would hurt and the hit wiped away his defenses. He felt the 'teeth' tear out of him and take skin with them. There was a feeling of heat as the blood rushed to the cut proceeded to gush out.

Halt didn't have time to recover as the many rows bit into him once more. With what little thought he had left Halt realized Ryan was using a device that had been banned from Araluen. It was like a whip with several lengths of cord attached to the handle. Along the cords were barbs spaced rather evenly. Duncan had banished these types of weapons almost directly after he had become king, claiming they went farther than just punishment which was true. It was simply inhumane to use. The many spikes dug into his skin and tore a gouges in his back again, crossing the first set. Halt bit the piece of cloth in his mouth with enough force to shatter his teeth if he didn't have it there. Around the cloth he managed an agonized groan. Ryan ripped the weapon back once more and Halt felt the barbs tear away his skin and his hot blood running his back. The hits caused him to tense up and that hurt his chest as well, though the pain there was far less than what the 'whip' was doing to him. Altogether Halt knew he wasn't going to last. But passing out wasn't an option, he didn't know how long Ryan would keep this up. Passing out would allow him to carry on without realizing how much damage he might really be doing. Maybe Halt yelled, he couldn't remember what had happened besides the searing pain as the rows of metal thorns tore at him.

Halt arched his back in agony as the catches struck into him again. He felt the ends of the cord claw at the base of his neck and along his shoulder blades then the length grabbing at his broad back. It was impossible for a new gouge not to form over an older one and Halt had the feeling there wasn't going to be much flesh left over when this was done. It was excruciating and he would have yelled again if the pain hadn't rendered him silent. Again the lines of barbs ripped tracks through the skin on Halt's back. This seemed deeper as they landed in other cuts and Halt clenched his fists and flexed his bare arms in pure pain. The spurs split open another path in his back and Halt clenched his teeth as tight as they would go. His eyes were slammed shut as well and sweat was beading down his forehead. Suddenly the chill morning didn't seem so nice anymore.

The torture went on for what seemed like an eternity. By the time it did stop Halt wasn't conscious. The only thing keeping him standing was the rope that bound his hands to the post above him. His hair was glued to his head from sweat. Dried blood coated his back as fresh blood continued to run down him. There was a puddle at his feet of the liquid and he was pale from the loss of it all. Ryan had watched carefully, waiting for the Ranger to fall unconscious and when he had, Ryan had stopped.

Now he walked up to the almost still form. Halt's breathing was very shallow but the breath was there nonetheless. In one fluid motion Ryan unsheathed his knife and swiped at the rope holding Halt to the post. With a thud, Halt's body hit the hard cobbles of the old courtyard. Smiling wolfishly, Ryan turned and started back towards the keep whistling merrily.

**Please review. Oh and help for clarification on what the weapon may have looked like goes to Skittle Gal**


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Crowley counted doors going down the corridor. It'd taken him two days to get from Castle Araluen to Rocklift Fief with Cropper ridding to his limits. He felt bad for pushing the horse but couldn't help himself. The news made him angry and instead of staying around sulking and cursing, Crowley had tried to turn the anger into power to keep on going. He didn't realize how upset he was however and only really came to terms with it when he stopped. That was something he hated, having to accept the fact that Halt was very possibly dead. So instead of stopping like he should have to rest, Crowley had pressed on through half of the first night and the entire second night, only stopping once or twice a day for Cropper's sake. Ever since he'd received the letter he had been in a rush to do something and the only sensible thing to do had been to spread word to Pauline. Now he suddenly felt that energy desert him and leave him travel weary and miserable like he should have been. He felt like simply lying down now but he raised his fist and knocked thrice on the door.

Pauline's muffled voice called something and the door opened a second later. Her smile faded when she took in who it was and his appearance. Perhaps he looked worse than he thought for Pauline quickly ushered the commandant inside and sat him down. It didn't take much persuading and Crowley practically collapsed onto the chair at an oval table. Pauline hurried to make tea, for there was no coffee, leaving Crowley sitting. Papers were scattered across the table but the commandant took no interest in them, instead fumbling around in his pockets for his own piece of paper. Before Crowley could find it, the door opened behind him. Turning around, Crowley saw the visitor to be Lance. His arms were full of parchment but Crowley made no move to help. He didn't even think he could get up due to his gathering grief and weak state.

"I got these from Eastwood, he seems to have horded every scrap of parchment with his grandfather's writing on it!" Lance grumbled, not seeing Crowley.

Pauline abandoned the pot she was using to make tea to help Lance. Taking half of the load away, she hurried to the table. Lance followed and set his pile down beside hers. Pauline went off to finish her previous task as Lance sat down. He extended a hand across the table to Crowley.

"I didn't realize we had a guest," Lance said in an apologetic voice. He had an easy smile on and didn't seem to mind the intrusion on what seemed to be busy work. Crowley dragged his hand to meet Lance's and gave an honest attempt at a firm handshake. "Something wrong?" Lance questioned, seeing the desolate look across the commandant's features.

Crowley managed a nod but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to talk until Pauline was there because he knew it would be hard enough saying the news once, twice wouldn't be possible. Crowley would have preferred Pauline didn't make tea but she seemed rather worried about his condition. Besides worried comments she'd made while herding Crowley into the room, she hadn't said anything. When she came to the table with Crowley's mug she looked curious and a bit confused. Crowley didn't blame her for looking rather calm; there was no way she could know what was to come. After setting the mug in front of Crowley, Pauline took a seat and looked at the commandant expectantly.

"Halt told you he was going to Hibernia correct?" Crowley started. His voice was quiet and a tad quivery. He wanted to just blurt the news out but he'd rather explained the background before dropping the bad news.

"Briefly," Pauline stated. Crowley could see the sudden straightening in her posture and realized that they must not have left on a nice note.

"I…I got a letter from Sean two days ago. He said that Halt went to get Fianna from an isolated island," Crowley said. He almost choked on Halt's name and could see Pauline was getting a worried expression. Now would be a good time for a drink but Crowley couldn't bring himself to prolong the news. "The only way to get to the island is by a sand path only exposed at low tide. Halt…he was sure he could make it with Abelard-"Crowley stopped there. It was clear that Pauline got the implications from the way she covered her mouth with her hands and looked at Crowley in shock. "They…they found Halt's gear and Abelard along the shore. No body."

Lance looked equally shocked but Crowley didn't notice as his attention was completely on Pauline.

"I'm sorry Pauline," Crowley muttered though he had nothing to be sorry for. Pauline shook her head; tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

"You…you couldn't have known," she responded shakily.

"Did you tell him?" Crowley asked sincerely. Again Pauline shook her head and this time the tears ran down her face.

"No," she whispered as she removed a hand from her mouth to place on her stomach where a small bump could still be disguised under her courier's uniform.

* * *

Coming back to consciousness now was one of the hardest, most painful and pointless things, Halt thought groggily. Movement, speech or even remembering seemed far beyond his capabilities for the moment, so instead he focused on simply staying awake, if you could call it that. His head pounded dully, not nearly at the strength it had been before but his ribs made up for that tenfold. The only thing worse than that was his back which seemed to be one whole mass of agony. He wasn't laying on it but that only hurt his ribs more. The anguish coursed through him and seemed to rebound at his fingertips and toes to resonate through him once more. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this kind of pain and certainly was in no hurry to feel it again.

Senses came back to him slowly and Halt almost regretted the fact. Smell seemed to come wandering back to him first. It was surprising that Halt hadn't simply woken with that seeing as the cell reeked. It smelled dank like always and Halt had a feeling that if you looked in the shadowy corners you would find mold. It also held a lingering scent of despair, something Halt couldn't describe but simply knew of. Mixed into that was various things that Halt had no name for but certainly didn't want to discover. After scent came it seemed that life was slowly feeding back into his body. He had a vague notion of somebody stroking his forehead and felt the cold stone floor beneath him. There was the sound of a comforting voice but Halt's mind was still too bleary to comprehend any words.

The Ranger still lay there, still not feeling strong enough to move or even open his eyes. The soothing motion and voice continued and Halt finally recognized it to be Fianna. He almost scowled at the thought of her sitting beside him and muttering comforting sayings. It was a simple fact Halt hated being fussed over and he even rejected it when Pauline used to try.

Pauline. There was a whole other problem. What was to happen once he got out of here was a big mystery. The sensible and usual thing to do would be going back to Araluen, which he fully intended to do, no way was he staying in Hibernia. However, if he went back alone or not was a bigger mystery than it should have been. He was married! Whether happily or not didn't matter right? Just the fact he was. It was commonly known Halt was loyal and he could hardly think what would happen if he came back with another woman hanging off his arm. For some reason he was torn with this. It should be simple, he shouldn't want Fianna if he was married yet he did. He remembered Fianna to be a bit more fun-loving than Pauline was and couldn't think of one argument they'd had that resulted in a fight. Lately it was as if Pauline was searching for a fight. Halt had to admit he wasn't innocent in the arguments but he certainly wasn't the main antagonist. At least not in his mind.

But it was still wrong…wasn't it? For some reason Halt kept coming up with excuses as to why it wasn't wrong. Pauline had thrown her ring back at him and didn't seem interested in reclaiming it. And Lance. There was a reason as to why he shouldn't feel bad about gravitating towards Fianna. Halt shoved the thoughts aside angrily. What would Will, or Gilan or even Crowley think of him if he returned with somebody new? Crowley wouldn't let that interfere with their friendship but Halt knew it would lower the commandant's opinion of him. As for Will and Gilan…Halt couldn't think of what they might do. To both of them he was a mentor and a role model and this didn't seem like something they should look up to. Then again, Halt knew they had minds of their own.

Deciding he didn't want to dwell on any of that now, Halt flicked his eyes open. He gave a small grown as dim light from the torches stung his eyes. Fianna didn't give any spontaneous reaction, something Halt was grateful for. He didn't need anybody scooping him up in big hugs right now.

"Hullo," Fianna said softly. Halt couldn't see her but knew it'd be a mistake to try and flip over onto his back. He didn't even think he could muster enough energy to talk.

"Help me up." At least, that's what Halt _tried_ to say. Instead it came out as a groan that somewhat resembled the words. Fianna smiled though Halt had no way of knowing.

Being as gentle as possible, Fianna grasped Halt by the shoulders where the damage wasn't so bad. With a little help from Halt, she managed to get him rolled over and in a sitting position though he was still relying on her to keep him up. He was breathing slowly and it sounded painful. Though, pain was etched on his face clearly so it was no guess whether it really did hurt or not.

"What happened?" Fianna whispered. Halt turned his head slightly to look at her. They were close to a wall but Halt didn't think it'd be wise to lean against it.

"Nothing much," Halt answered. He knew he couldn't talk more than that. It hurt too much to breath, much less talk.

"Halt," she said warningly and Halt gave a grim smile.

"No need to make you worry about something that already happened," Halt murmured and found himself leaning closer to her. This time it was he who connected their lips.

**Okay..so that's it for this chapter...for Pauline all I have to say is: each of my stories are separate so don't be thinking that this is in anyway connected to Ruined Relations. That part was just for something later on. please review**


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

** I must apologize for my lack of updates, I was working on the holidays thing then the holidays came up and then I found myself trying to punch a hole in the concrete wall of writer's block but now I am back so no fear! I'll try and get up a few chapters these days as we're still on break to try and make up for my AWOL behavior.**

What might have possessed him to kiss her, Halt didn't know. Perhaps it was the close proximity or his groggy mind, or maybe he just wanted to distract himself from the pain. Whatever the case may have been, Halt didn't try to stop it. Fianna was the one to lean back away from Halt. He frowned a bit and she laughed.

"Still no smile I see," she commented. Halt didn't respond. "You know, you're going to wear your skin away if you keep twisting that ring," Fianna added and clasped his hand. Halt realized he had been playing with the ring unconsciously again and made a silent promise that he'd stop. "Now, you want to tell me why your back looks like beasts tore it apart?"

"That may have been less painful," Halt muttered and tried to shift a bit. He failed and only made himself more uncomfortable.

"Halt, just tell me," Fianna replied. It was clear she wanted to know straight out and without Halt's usual avoidance of talking about injuries. She looked rather serious for once but took pity on him and helped him into a more comfortable position. He was partially leaning on the wall, but not so much that it bothered the worst of the cuts. Not that it felt any better, he still couldn't describe the pain but he was becoming slightly accustomed to it in the way one might become accustomed to a hound chewing at the ankle with razor sharp teeth. His breathing was still rough however, and he had to take a few deep and very painful breaths before replying.

"I was whipped," he stated simply. It still bothered him he wasn't mentioning Ryan but he didn't think he could. There would be time to explain when they got out, now they just needed to focus on escaping and mentioning Ryan just might make that impossible. "It's nothing, let's just think of a way out of here," he added before she could speak.

"How can you be so calm about this? Halt, you could have been killed," Fianna said worriedly and looked at him hard.

"But I wasn't killed. Do you know if they go to the mainland for supplies or anything?" Halt pressed, favoring to keep himself from being the topic of conversation.

"I don't know, Halt. I've been in this damned cell. But from the food they bring it doesn't seem like they get fresh stuff every day," Fianna answered and Halt detected a slight tone of desperation in her voice. "How are you even going to get away in your condition? And don't propose the option of leaving without you."

Halt closed his mouth and thought about how to answer. In reality, he hadn't really thought about how he was going to get away yet. The mission came first and the mission was to save her, not himself. However, if there was a way to get both of them off the island at once then he wasn't going to sneeze at it.

It wasn't clear how he was going to get her away at the moment either. From what Halt had gathered, Ryan and his companions survived on what they could get on random occasions. That was proven from the stale bread and cheese he'd been given before the whipping. There had to be another source of food and Halt recalled Sean mentioning that they lived off the clams that showed up at low tide. So it didn't seem like they made many trips back to mainland and Halt hadn't seen any horses. Of course, that didn't mean much as they could be in a stable. Then there was the small problem of them being locked in a cell and no clue what the layout of the castle and island was. The only way Halt saw to have a chance at one of them escaping was if they struck a deal with Ryan, something he didn't think was likely to happen. But at this point there really wasn't anything else to try.

"I'll see what I can do," Halt muttered after a while and Fianna looked a little bit more at ease with that answer. "Do you know anything that might help?" he said as an afterthought.

Fianna went to open her mouth to say something but quickly closed it as the door to the cell opened. Halt watched as one of the large men entered and shut the door behind him. The Ranger frowned. Any other time he'd been captured or seen a situation like this the door was always left open. Perhaps it was so if anything went wrong the captor could escape or maybe it was just a show of how overconfident they were. Halt didn't think it was either of those reasons, he believed it was to tempt and tease the prisoners and it always worked. They could see an exit but even if they did get to it, there was no chance for them. So close yet so far was the summary of it. So when the man closed the door, Halt kept on his highest alert which wasn't much as his vision was starting to get dark around the edges.

"Eat," the man said in a deep voice and set down a tray in front of the couple. Instead of turning to go like was custom, he remained where he was. Fianna eyed the tray. There was a jug of water and what looked like clams. Not the most appealing meal but it was made a bit tempting from the fact there was little chance they'd get fed again soon. Halt on the other hand had no desire to eat. Maybe it was because he associated eating with what had followed last time. Either way, the thought of eating made his stomach churn and he had to swallow to keep himself from throwing up. "Nothing's wrong with it," the man stated, seeing neither of them were rushing to eat. Fianna glared at him with about the same fury that Halt felt.

"Besides the fact it's being fed to us in a cell where we're being held against our will," Fianna spat and if Halt had had enough energy, he would have clamped a hand over her mouth. As it was he tried to tell her to stay silent by squeezing her hand. He hadn't known Ryan long but it was clear that he wasn't merciful when it came to punishment and it seemed that you didn't have to do anything to get that treatment. However, instead of lashing out with fists and threats, the man laughed. It was a deep rumble that matched his large appearance.

"Yes, besides that. Now I recommend you eat, you won't be getting anything else until you're out of here."

**Short and mostly a filler yes but I'm mostly trying to get back into the groove of it. Please review**


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Alright, well my plan to update utterly failed as I went to a friend's house and actually had plans on New Year's for once...that's why this is being updated in the middle of the week randomly;)**

Halt frowned at that, his slightly foggy mind registering what the man was saying. The man was rather tall and obviously muscular with hair the color of sand and eyes matching a stormy sea. Halt estimated he was a good ten years younger than himself.

"What do you mean?" Fianna snapped. It was clear she was interested in what was being said now and so was Halt though he couldn't express it very clearly.

"I mean I'm getting you out of here," he responded easily and with half a smile. His words were precise and careful, as if this was his second language that he didn't use often and Halt didn't doubt it with the Hibernian accent he had as well.

"And why?" Halt muttered, contributing to the conversation. He regretted it almost immediately and fell silent once more, trying to numb his senses.

"I'm a man for hire and, as you most likely know, we hate getting tied up in long term projects. Not only that, but the boss has gone too far capturing you." He motioned towards Halt. "I'm not as thick as you might think me to be. That necklace marks you as a King's Ranger of Araluen. Halt O'Carrick if I'm not mistaken."

"It doesn't matter, you can't get a ransom for me, I'm just like any commoner you might have snatched off the streets in terms of getting ransom," Halt said a bit stronger than before. The man laughed.

"Yes, he may not be able to get any ransom for you but he can get payback on you. It seems he's already started."

"So why don't you just escape?" Fianna asked a little less venomously than before.

"I would, except he's Halt O'Carrick. The uncle of the current King of Clonmel, my home region. He may be worthless if we wanted ransom but I have no interest in any gold, I've already been paid in full and beyond for the services I'm supposed to provide. Yes, escaping would be a wonderful plan but I have interest in returning home and I can't hide the fact I was involved in this affair forever. However, if I return with him, King Sean would have to take mercy on me and forget about my involvement in this," he explained and Halt had to admit he was right. Sean would feel guilty for putting him in the middle of this and no doubt be beyond thankful for Halt's return and that might just be enough for him to forget this man's roll in it.

"So you're going to get him off this island just because you wish to go home?" Fianna asked disbelievingly. Halt didn't pay her much attention, he was thinking about how to turn this twist of events to his advantage.

"I'm taking him off this island because this is dragging on longer than it's supposed to and I could be making more money someplace else. Also, we're only going to last so long. There has to be somebody else with a fast horse and a brilliant plan that could get here and then it's only a matter of time before we're all goners. There's only the five of us and I doubt you two would contribute any if we were under attack. The boss isn't much when it comes to fighting and I have no doubt he'll stay nice and comfy up in his quarters. That leaves Randolph and myself against an enemy that could be far more cunning than us. All it would take is an arrow to the head to finish us and I rather earn my pay in Clonmel like I have been than be shot dead because I committed myself to a long term project. A rookie's mistake as the longer you stay, the bigger the target on your back grows," he said.

"I'll do it," Halt said before Fianna could question him farther. "On one condition." Again the man laughed and Halt felt his temper rising. This wasn't a joke, this was his life and the man was laughing as if it meant nothing.

"With all due respect, I'm not asking your consent. I'm telling you what's going to happen." His previous carefree attitude was replaced with a commanding one but Halt paid it no heed.

"If you don't follow my terms then I'm going to get word of this to…your boss," Halt said, avoiding naming Ryan. He cast a quick glance to Fianna but she didn't seem to notice his slight fumble of words.

"You won't be able to," the man said sternly though it was clear he knew that was a possibility. Ryan wasn't one to take tips from anybody, prisoner or otherwise, lightly. If somebody proposed the idea that one of his men was going to try something, he was going to take care of it as soon as possible. It was clear Ryan had an interest in Halt and the man, Jeffery, didn't know when Ryan might call Halt up again. It would be simple for the Ranger to tell of his plan and then he'd definitely be dead within the next twenty four hours. Halt raised an eyebrow, a clear indication he knew what Jeffery was thinking. "What are your terms?" Jeffery finally asked, neither denying nor confirming he was going to follow them.

"You have to take Fianna as well," Halt said evenly, trying to make himself sound as unbroken as he could. Jeffery couldn't help the smile that broke out. He'd expected something like a share of gold or a ridiculous demand. This condition wasn't even troublesome. He'd even been considering taking Fianna anyways. She could be held for ransom as she ranked high in the courts in Hibernia and, from the way she was leaning against Halt, clearly had personal relations with the O'Carrick family. He could give Sean Halt then demand gold for Fianna, the personal ties would only make the King bid higher for her. And to top it all off, Halt would be powerless to try something due to his current state.

"Very well then," Jeffery replied. "I'll be back and you'll be ready." And with that, he grabbed the tray with the unappetizing food and left.

Halt watched him open the door and leave and only escaped his thoughts when Fianna gently brought his head to look down at her.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" she asked softly and Halt looked into her eyes. She seemed a tad worried and there was due reason for it as well. However, Halt had a feeling Jeffery was telling the truth and he'd come to the conclusion that everything the man said had been true. Then again, there was always that small possibility he would turn. It wouldn't be right to promise everything would be fine then have it turn; Halt had learned that before from experience.

"Most likely yes, but there's only one real way to find out," Halt answered easily. Fianna looked a bit more worried with that answer. "I think he can be held to his word, he wants to get off the island and get back to his life and his plan is the only way to do that, but there's always a chance he'll turn if something goes wrong."

"So he's telling the truth and you're just being a worried old man?" Fianna summarized, getting her usual attitude back. Halt frowned.

"I'm only a year older than you."

"Yes, but that one year makes all the difference," she answered cockily and kissed him on the cheek as if to make up for it before leaning her head back onto his shoulder lightly.

Halt felt his breath catch. What was he doing? Fighting back the urge to spin his ring again, Halt forced himself to think about what he was doing. They were close to getting out of this wretched place and what he was going to do once he was free was still to be decided. Halt still didn't know the fate of Abelard but had a kind of sixth sense telling him that the horse was gone. It was just something inside him that seemed to feel it like when a lifelong friend passes and you simply know it. Halt pushed the grief for his ever faithful horse and friend back and focused on the matter at hand.

No doubt he'd be going back to Araluen, that wasn't really something that required thought. What might happen once he was back, however, was calling for attention. He had to admit that he had missed the attention that Fianna was giving him. Pauline hadn't exactly been begging for hugs and kisses since the fighting began and part of him found that he ached for that. Fianna had no grudge against him and Halt saw a possible future there. Getting her to go to Araluen might be a little tricky considering her position in Hibernia but he'd never known her for enjoying politics so being in Sean's inner circle might not be what she wanted. With a little coaxing, he knew he could get her to go with him. Then there was the small problem of Pauline. Halt had already fooled himself into believing all was lost there. Maybe things were bad enough that he could get her to file for a divorce with him.

That passing thought stopped him from going any farther. He'd never considered that to ever happen and the fact it popped up now said something. It would solve a lot of problems, their fighting being one.

Halt exhaled roughly, ignoring the flare in his chest. He really didn't want to divorce Pauline, it seemed like they'd been through this many fights and the only way for it to go was up. Then again, what if they didn't? He'd be wasting time with her and be getting nowhere while he could be enjoying time with Fianna.

For a while Halt simply sat there, weighing the pros and the cons of getting a divorce or staying. Coming to a conclusion, Halt slipped his hand into his pocket. When it came out again there was no ring on it.

**Please review**


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt didn't know how long it was until Jeffery returned, mostly because time seemed to go at an agonizingly slow pace when there's nothing to do and everything hurts. Halt at least guessed it was night as there wouldn't really be any other time to do this. Walking over to the couple, Jeffery held out a roll of bandages and motioned for Fianna to move.

"I'm going to wrap your chest in this so it doesn't hurt as much to move," he said simply and Halt nodded, he'd considered doing something like that with his shirt before it'd been reduced to strips of clothing covered in blood.

Halt was surprised at how Jeffery took care not to hit any of the bruises and even avoided bumping the cuts as best as he could. When it was done, Halt found it hurt a little less to move as the bandage kept his ribs from jostling. However, when he managed to stand he felt the cuts on his back stretch and break open again. How he was going to ride a horse was beyond him. Swaying slightly Halt looked at Jeffery in the dim light. There was determination written across his features but nothing to suggest deceit. Turning away, Jeffery went to the door to make sure there were no late night strollers, not that there really would be but it never hurt to be sure.

"Do you think you'll make it?" Fianna whispered in Halt's ear as they waited for Jeffery's signal. Halt felt her slip her hand into his and fought back what might have been considered a smile.

"I'll be fine, the bandages help," he answered just as quietly and felt her squeeze his hand.

"What happens next?" Halt looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "What are we going to do?" she clarified and Halt dragged his eyes away.

"We'll figure it out when we get time," he replied just as Jeffery turned back and nodded at them.

They went quietly out of the dungeon and through the halls without incident. Halt began to recognize when they got closer to the doors that let out into the courtyard and felt the hot blood seeping into the dressings that wrapped around his torso. It still hurt but the pressure kept it from being a nuisance to hinder the escape, which was good enough. Jeffery took the bolt off the door and pushed it open slightly, he winced as he began to open it but there was no noise. In the torchlight Halt could see a slight glisten on the hinges and guessed he'd oiled them earlier.

The group entered the dark courtyard and Halt made a point to avoid looking at the whipping post. Perhaps he was acting foolish but he didn't have a burning desire to look at the thing. The chilled air ran over his bare arms and a slight breeze blew through his hair, bringing fresh air. A more preferred option than the dank and moldy smell of the dungeons. Beside him Halt saw Fianna stop in her tracks. How long it'd been since she'd been outside, he didn't know but based on her reaction it seemed like it'd been a while. Tugging her by the hand he still held, Halt managed to get her moving again and they crossed the moonlit ground to the decaying stable.

There were three horses in just as many stalls, some of the only ones standing. Unlike the castle, the stables were made of wood and the toll that the weather took on it was prominent. While they waited for him to saddle them, Halt leaned against the wall to catch his breath. It was ridiculous that he was out of it but even though his breaths were less painful, they were still rather shallow. In the little light provided his face was pale and Fianna rubbed his arm soothingly.

Halt considered moving away from her touch but right now wasn't the time to start something. They were on their way to the hardest part of the escape and neither of them needed to be distracted. It was something that could cost them their lives.

"Are you alright?" Fianna asked softly when Halt straightened once more. He nodded slightly and resisted the need to grimace.

"Never better," he mumbled and saw her smile.

"They're ready," Jeffery said, interrupting Fianna as she opened her mouth. On impulse Halt gave Fianna a kiss on the cheek and walked over to where their helper stood. In his hands he held the reins to three horses. They all looked large and powerful, built more for shorter distances at a fast pace than long distances at a steady pace which Halt figured was better for now. He couldn't distinguish their breed in the dimness but they were all dark colors, two being black as the night and one being a shadowy brown.

"They might not be your fancy Ranger horses but they're meant for this. Just follow me and you should be fine. The Boss is sleeping in his quarters on the other side of the keep and my companion won't be bothering us any time soon. It's amazing what a few bottles of ale can do to a person," Jeffery said as he handed the reins to one of the black horses to Halt. The Ranger stiffened at the last line but said nothing.

Halt managed to mount himself, it took a few tries and quite a few muttered curses but eventually he got it. Taking a deep breath when he did manage it, Halt forced the pain back into numbness and focused on how he was going to ride. Deciding the best option was to stand up a bit so he didn't feel the usual pains of riding as bad, Halt tried to relax. "When we get to the path we might have to wait a few minutes but I think I've timed this about right to line up with when it'll be clear. And I know the positions of the sandpits well enough seeing as I'm the one stuck on gathering clams," he explained once Fianna was mounted and him as well.

Jeffery tapped his horse's sides with his heels and set off at a brisk trot. Fianna looked at Halt once before following him and Halt came up at the rear only a pace or two behind Fianna. They headed across the courtyard and to the large drawbridge that no longer operated. Even though there was little chance anybody was up or even knew about their escape effort, Jeffery led a path through the shadows, something Halt approved of, at least he wasn't over confident.

The stable wasn't too far from the drawbridge but it still took a few minutes and Halt did his best to focus on anything besides the constant bouncing and jostling. It hurt tremendously but perhaps not unbearably so. Halt knew that getting across the sand path would be hell but there wasn't much he could do about it so he settled on the plan to grin and bear it. Once they were across they could rest, but getting across came first. Jeffery was just riding onto the bridge when Halt had an uneasy feeling. Stopping his horse for a moment, the Ranger glanced back to the castle, reaching for the comfort of the weapons that weren't at his him anymore. His hand closed on empty air and made him look down. He was so used to the knives being there that he felt a bit vulnerable without them. Looking back to the courtyard, Halt did a quick search of the area. He didn't see anybody but the feeling was still there.

"What are you doing?" Fianna's voice reached his ears and caused Halt to look forward again, wincing as he moved his torso too fast. She was almost halfway across the bridge and he might have yelled at her for calling back like that had it been any other time as it might have alerted somebody. Halt went to answer but realized the feeling was gone. Glancing back once more, he moved his horse forward again to join her, still alert for any noise or disturbance in the still night. "Anything wrong?" FIanna whispered as they hurried to catch up to Jeffery who was already across the bridge.

Halt shook his head. "Just a feeling but I didn't see anybody," he answered.

Perhaps he should have looked back once more; it might have prevented what was to come.

**Definitely not the best chapter but you should still review;)**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay so I didn't get this updated on Friday, but it's only Saturday! And I'm finally at a part I have a lot, I hope, of ideas!**

Ryan watched the trio carefully from his position behind the door that led out into the courtyard. He'd figured something like this would happen, Jeffery was a great man to have around but everybody had limits to how long they would work. Even the biggest amount of money couldn't keep somebody longer than they wanted to stay in business like this.

Ryan ducked behind the door quickly as he saw Halt's horse stop, barely making it before Halt turned to look around. There wasn't a way to see when Halt would start moving again so Ryan began to count out two minutes. It seemed to take longer than it should have but when he looked again, Halt was starting across the bridge. Taking a deep breath, Ryan tightened his grip on the longbow in his hand and reached a hand over his shoulder unnecessarily to make sure the arrows were still there. It wasn't his favored weapon but it was the best long distance weapon that he could trust. And though he didn't have perfect aim, it'd do what he wanted.

He watched as they finished the journey across the bridge before sprinting across the courtyard, the moss and grass that had taken over the cobblestone muffling his footfalls. Hurrying up an entrance that, at one point, had only been open to guards, Ryan rushed to the top of the tower. Pushing through some rubble of collapsed battlements, Ryan hid himself behind a jagged piece of rock that was still standing. Leaning the smallest bit so he could see down to the sand, Ryan watched the group stop at the edge of the water. They'd made the trip at least ten minutes early so they were standing on the bank by the time he finished positioning himself to shoot. He'd leaned over a slight bit more so he had good footing to keep steady on. The shadows from around him did a well enough job hiding him so that to any eyes down below he'd be virtually invisible if just didn't move a lot. Ryan froze as he saw Halt had turned around. Instead of diving behind the old rock like somebody else might have done, he stood as still as he could and sighed with relief when Halt turned back around after a minute. Raising the bow with more skill and confidence than an amateur but much less than a Ranger, Ryan retrieved an arrow and drew it back, focusing his shot.

* * *

"We have a few minutes," Jeffery said as they got to the edge of the water. It was starting to recede but they still had about ten minutes left. He'd wanted a little extra time in case they ran into complications on getting out but ten minutes made him feel a little uncomfortable. "I'll set the pace; you just have to follow close behind. If we're almost to the other side and the water starts to rise, just stay calm and keep your reasoning. Worse comes to worse, I want you to slip off the horse, the water isn't as strong over there on the other bank so you should be fine."

Fianna and Halt lined up beside him, ready to start off at his command. Fianna kept glancing at Halt and he knew that she saw his uneasiness. His edgy feeling was coming back and he realized he'd looked back over his shoulder and did cursory searches at least three times since they crossed the bridge. Highly unprofessional he realized, but he hadn't exactly been trying to act like a Ranger lately. Deciding that if anybody was watching them, they'd have already seen him turning and looking, Halt turned around once more.

It was hard to see too far back, partly due to the dim light and the problem enhanced by the castle's shadow making things seem far darker. He searched harder than he had but still didn't spot anything along the ground or on the walls. Moving his gaze up, Halt could only see toppled over battlements. Still, he searched it carefully. He swore he saw a small movement on the tower on the left side of the old drawbridge but couldn't be sure. Deciding to use an old tactic, Halt moved his search along and came back to the spot he suspected movement at random times. He couldn't catch anything and eventually gave up, he was tired and was a bit reluctant to admit that he'd been beaten enough lately his mind could just be playing tricks on him. Frowning slightly, Halt turned back around.

"Is everything fine?" Fianna asked quietly, so Jeffery couldn't hear.

"Just thought I saw something is all," Halt answered. "I didn't see-"

Halt stopped mid-sentence as a fiery and excruciating pain stabbed him in the shoulder, the force from whatever it was making him jolt forwards. The jerk caused him to nearly fall of the horse who, in turn, got nervous and reared up, making Halt fall face first to the ground, an arrow sticking right through his shoulder. The horse turned and fled, its hoof beats beating out a tattoo on the ground.

Halt was breathing raggedly, the sheer pain of his ribs being beat again, his head hitting the ground and the new wound of an arrow making him useless. The feeling of his back getting ripped open again was lost in everything else but surely contributed to it and didn't make the image any prettier as blood penetrated the bandage Jeffery had made.

Nearby Halt heard a thud and had a sinking feeling that it was Fianna. That thought was quickly silenced when he sensed rather than felt a soft hand brushing hair out of his face. Forcing himself to open his eyes, Halt confirmed who it was but couldn't offer anything of comfort to the worried face, he couldn't even find the breath to tell her to leave.

He saw her lips move but his vision was going black and his brain didn't register what she was saying. By the time she'd finished her sentence, he'd already succumbed to unconsciousness though she wouldn't have been surprised if it was death as well.

**Rather short and not the best, I admit I have limited knowledge concerning horses so I'm sorry if their panic wasn't feasible (sorry for these words I been spittin out, doing vocab in english) Please review**


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Alright, you can bag me up and throw me in the River Thames, I've been absent for a while but I have an excuse! I was stuck for a bit and when I finally got my ideas ordered there was a...complication with my computer so we had to go get a new one and I've been transferring files and all that fun stuff...so yeah.**

The next time he woke, Halt realized he was lying down on a cot in what looked to be an empty room. Sitting up slightly, Halt almost lost what very little might have been in his stomach. His head ached horribly and his vision was swimming, not to mention the pain everywhere else. He could hardly move without something hurting and was forced into stillness. Trying to remember what had happened, Halt almost tried to move again to see what was going on before he was confined to not moving again.

"Hurt much?" an angry voice growled from what Halt guessed to be the doorway.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears before Ryan came into view, looking to be more than simply angry. Grabbing Halt by his hair, Ryan yanked him up into a sitting position and smiled devilishly at the agonized yell Halt couldn't hold back. Halt squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying to regain his composition and sense of direction as it had been sent spinning with his head. Talking was out of the question so Halt focused on pushing his head up so Ryan's grip wouldn't hurt as bad.

"You seem to have forgotten I'm in charge here and pathetic attempts at escape _will _result in you being punished," Ryan continued and pulled at Halt's hair again. "Did you honestly think it would work?" Halt didn't answer, he couldn't. "Answer me!" Ryan shouted and grabbed Halt's shoulder where the arrow had gone through.

Halt arched his back in pain, only harming himself more as the cuts reopened with fresh agony. Ryan let go of the Ranger and watched in contempt as Halt fell back onto the bed breathing raggedly and bleeding from his back. Halt was blinded and numbed with the surging feeling and only realized Ryan was moving him when he was forced to lean against a wall to keep himself upright.

"Next time think about leaving, consider the outcomes of if you fail," Ryan snarled in Halt's ear. Had he been in any condition, Halt might have answered with a cutting reply, but at the moment he was a bit too busy thinking of how to breathe naturally. "Now let's go on a little trip."

Grabbing Halt by the arm, Ryan began to drag him out of the infirmary. Halt could hardly stand and therefore wasn't able to get away. Draping one of the Ranger's arms across his shoulders, Ryan half carried him and half dragged him down the corridors. Halt's small thoughts of escape were ruined further by the fact Ryan was holding a knife with his other hand against Halt's side. One jab would be all he would need to get Halt to fall and then anything could happen.

"You know, I was hoping you would have taken note of what I was capable of and thought of it before you went along with Jeffery's ridiculous scheme. It's clear I'll need to make sure I have more trustworthy accomplices like Randolph in the future," Ryan said as if talking to a friend in a usual conversation. Halt tried to say something but couldn't get it out. Noticing the attempt, Ryan smiled wolfishly. "I'm sorry, _father_, I didn't quite catch that. Mind repeating it?" he mocked. Halt didn't try any more, it was too much.

It took a torturous eternity to get down to the courtyard for Halt and he was barely aware of his surroundings. His entire weight was on Ryan. A few times he'd tried to take weight off of his son to seem less dependent but it hadn't worked out well, resulting in him almost collapsing. Not that that would be terrible at the moment, unconsciousness would be a welcomed accomplice.

When they were in the courtyard, Halt was only awake because any time he'd almost slipped into the blissful darkness a jolt of pain or a throb in his head would pull him back to crushing reality.

Ryan led him over to the whipping post and sat him down on a rotting bench that had been set out beside it. Halt was seated between Jeffery and Fianna and was aware of a flare of agony in his shoulder as Ryan backed off and a pair of muscled arms pulled Halt's hands behind his back and tied them together.

Halt managed a few steadying breaths and diminished the pain to a rolling wave rather than a full on stormy sea. Opening his eyes, he glanced at Fianna. Her eyes were puffy as if she'd been crying and there was a long cut across her cheek. For some reason this made Halt hate Ryan all the more. Fianna turned her head to look at him and Halt swore he saw anger there, as if she was mad at him for something. A far back piece of Halt's mind knew why she was mad at him but was unwilling to deliver the information through the fuzz in his mind to a place he could realize it. She turned away quickly, leaving Halt looking at her in a confused fashion.

"Randolph, it seems our guest, Ranger Halt, doesn't want to focus his attention. I think you should help him out." Ryan's voice was icy as he glared at the three seated at the bench.

Halt didn't have time to process what that meant as strong hands grabbed the sides of his head and turned it to look at Ryan instead of Fianna. The movement wasn't much, but it was for somebody as beat up as he.

"Good, now that I have your attention, I'm glad to inform you that there will be consequences for your failed escape. Perhaps you all think you're clever running through the middle of the courtyard in the middle of the night then proceeding to leave yourselves unprotected waiting for the bridge to appear. However, I find it rather pathetic and one of the worse escapes I've ever witnessed. I have to say that if an Araluen Ranger approved of that plan Araluen is falling short of its reputation," Ryan said aimlessly. Part of Halt just wanted him to start beating them like he undoubtedly would just to get it all over with. Another part of him wanted to just stand up and run but knew that was an unrealistic strategy. And yet a third part of him was still stuck on what the look Fianna had given him meant.

"So, I've thought long and hard about this and I've come to the conclusion of what should happen to each of you for your defiance," Ryan concluded and Halt fought the urge to roll his eyes. Looking at Ryan, Halt's simple acting mind wouldn't let him ignore the likeness that related his son to him. The way he held himself and the tone of his voice were only two things. Ryan's face was the real giveaway to his relation to Halt and it bothered the Ranger to no end that this was what his son had dissolved into.

"You don't have to do this," Halt mumbled in an almost indecipherable voice. He hadn't planned saying it; he didn't even know that he _had_ said it until Ryan looked at him with a glare to match his own.

"Perhaps you'd like to worsen what I have in store for you," Ryan stated flatly. Halt sensed Randolph's large hand coming up to smack him and braced as much as he could. "No," Ryan snapped and Halt knew Randolph had lowered his hand. "He needs to be conscious for this." Turning away from Halt, Ryan looked to his accomplice. "Go get the whip."

**Please review, I want to hear what you think about this story because I don't like it all that much...**


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"I believe Jeffery was the master mind of this failed attempt, it seems fitting he'll go first," Ryan thought aloud once Randolph had returned with the whip.

Taking the weapon from the man, Ryan gave more instructions to Randolph who went to the bench and grabbed Jeffery by the arm. Jeffery was hauled to his feet and Halt saw he had an arrow wound in the middle of his back. It was clear no attempt had been made to bandage it or clean it, then again, why would there be the need? Halt watched as Randolph dragged a struggling Jeffery to the post. All the way there Halt could see Jeffery was talking to Randolph though what he was saying was too quiet for Halt to know.

Randolph slammed Jeffery against the post harder than need be and tied him like Halt had been tied. Halt saw Jeffery turn his head to look at what had been his partner at one point and watched as his mouth moved. Halt didn't know what was being said but from the look on Jeffery's face it was clear it was far from a compliment. For a moment it looked like Randolph was going to let the insult roll off his shoulders but Jeffery added to what had been said by spitting at the other man's feet.

The next thing Halt knew, Jeffery had a fountain of blood sprouting from his nose and Randolph was pulling his fist back for another hit.

"Enough!" Ryan's voice snapped out at the men like a whip and Randolph flinched as if he'd received a physical blow. Lowering his fist, Randolph stepped back and resumed his position behind the bench. Ryan glared at him. "I've now lost two of my men; do I need to lose all of them? I assure you that, contrary to your belief, it would be a simple matter to replace you," Ryan added hotly and Halt heard Randolph shuffle behind him. "That's what I thought."

Turning back to what he was doing, Ryan raised the wicked tool to snap out at Jeffery. Halt could see that they hadn't bothered giving him a cloth to bite down on and couldn't imagine how his teeth would look afterwards. Then again, it was possible there wasn't going to be an afterwards for him.

A crack split the air and Halt tensed as he saw the barbs tear through Jeffery's shirt as if it hadn't even been there. Almost immediately blood started to flow out of the millions of holes gouged into the skin. Ryan yanked the handle back and the rows of metal thorns were torn out of Jeffery's back, leaving behind shredded skin and fabric. Jeffery let out a painful yell and pressed his forehead against the post, clenching his fists and tensing his body to try and deal with it.

It went on and Halt found that he couldn't watch it. Beside him Fianna was sitting with a straight back, looking at Ryan with a sort of pity. The urge to look at her was there but Halt ignored it and kept pretending to watch the whipping.

It was almost unreal that Ryan could be his, Halt's, son and be doing something like this. Not only to Jeffery but also to his own father. Halt was snapped out of his thoughts with the sound of movement behind him, alerting the Ranger to Randolph's stroll over to the post. Focusing on the scene before him, Halt realized Ryan was done with Jeffery. The hired man was lying at the base of the post; his bonds had obviously not been good enough to keep him upright once unconsciousness took over. Halt looked closer and realized that there was no rising and lowering in Jeffery's chest. His stomach clenched despite his best efforts, had Ryan really gone this far? And if so, how was everything going to play out for Fianna and him?

"Now, who next?" Ryan said in a cold voice as he turned back to the bench. Jeffery's body was being dragged away by Randolph and Halt had the feeling that the surging water surrounding the island was going to be a grave. "How about you?" Ryan looked at Fianna with hard and unforgiving eyes.

* * *

Crowley knocked on the door to the room Pauline had been granted for her mission. There was no answer and Crowley was tempted to leave. He didn't want to do this but there wasn't much else to do and the sooner it was over with, the better. Cracking the door open a bit, he slipped into a medium sized room. It was set up with a kitchen attaching to a main room and two doors leading off to two separate sleeping quarters that weren't much bigger than they needed to be. It wasn't decorated excessively but had enough of a personal touch to be considered classy in a way.

Lance wasn't there at the moment as Crowley knew he was talking to Baron Eastwood about specifics in the deal. Against her will, Crowley had convinced Pauline to let Lance deal with anything that was left. It wasn't as if she'd be able to focus anyways. Even Crowley found himself unable to focus as of late.

Pauline was at the table in the kitchen with a cup of tea clasped in her hands. She didn't look up when Crowley entered, preferring to keep reading the report on the table before her. Taking a seat across from her, Crowley realized it was the letter he'd gotten from Sean and given her upon request. Pushing back his own grief, Crowley cleared his throat to get her attention even though he knew he probably already had it.

"May I help you?" Pauline asked, raising her gaze to look at him. It was clear she wasn't getting enough sleep and Crowley could see she was trying to hide all she felt like a true diplomat.

"I just came by to ask what you wanted to do now," Crowley answered in as steady a voice as he could. It'd been two days and they'd received nothing suggesting that a body had been found or anything contradicting the news of Halt's death had been discovered. Yes, it took a while for news to get from Hibernia to Araluen but if they'd gotten the news three days ago then Halt's death would have taken place an extra few days to a week before that. If anything had been found then it would have already been reported and they'd already know of it.

"I'm afraid that it's not clear what you're asking," the diplomat said neutrally. Crowley knew this was going to be difficult, he didn't want to accept it either but there was a point where it had to be and the sooner the better. For everybody.

"Now that Halt is gone, I thought it'd be better to get all the legal stuff done with as soon as possible," the commandant answered softly. There wasn't much legal stuff to be dealt with for a death but there was the matter of a will and as a Ranger, Halt would require a few papers more.

"We don't know he's gone. They haven't found a body." Pauline set her mug down on the table, realizing she'd had it for almost an hour and hadn't taken a single sip. Perhaps they hadn't left on the best note but the news of Halt's death wasn't hitting her any softer. It was childish and senseless to refuse the fact he was dead but for some reason it was the way that lessened the pain. As if believing the almost nonexistent chance Halt was still alive would make it come true.

"It happened some time ago. If anything had changed we would have gotten something already. I don't want to believe it either but we can't sit around pretending that he's going to show up. You'll have to move on sometime with the baby coming," Crowley snapped. It was stupid to get worked up about this, especially with Pauline in no condition to hear it but he couldn't help it. Everything seemed so damn unfair and he didn't want to accept it any more than Pauline but he had to because of his position. Pauline could just live in her own land of hope while he had to face the reality in order to perform his job as Ranger Commandant.

"That's at least seven months away. As soon as they find a body I'll fill out your paperwork but until then I have other work to do," Pauline responded icily. Crowley took a deep breath to refrain from getting more agitated.

"Right," he muttered and stood up. There was no point pursuing this, it wasn't working anyways. "Have a nice day," he added and left. Maybe he could propose the same logic as Pauline to Duncan when he returned to Castle Araluen with blank pages.

**Please review**


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Alright, this is a bit overdue and I'm sorry, school somehow picks up in the middle of the year and it seems that there's a test or a project or an assignment to worry about each week. I had a bit of this started earlier so I just needed to finish it, other updates might be longer in coming than what I usually do but I'm trying.**

**And apparently I've been on here for a year as of January 29th...yeah...I didn't know that...so thank you to everybody who has reviewed any of my stories or read them. You are all awesome**

Crowley strolled out into the courtyard and ran a hand through his hair. The midday sun shone down trying to relax him but it was doing little good. It wasn't that he'd wanted to admit Halt was dead, he still didn't completely believe it, but what else was there to do? Sometimes he hated being the commandant for this reason. He was expected to handle everything calmly and deal with it easily when he just wanted to go on a rampage.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Crowley glanced at the stables. He could go now. Head to Hibernia, investigate some, see if he could get a body, living or dead, then come back. It wasn't as if nobody could fill his spot. There were at least half a dozen retired Rangers up at the castle at the moment and one of them would be capable of filling in for him. Duncan could hardly blame him for this.

No.

Halt was a Ranger, he knew the dangers and it'd go against more than one law or rule or whatever to go after him. He was dead, they'd found Abelard and his gear beside a surging mass of deadly water. Then again, Halt was Halt. He'd been thought dead more than once, other times with more proof than now, and he'd always survived. Almost without thinking, Crowley started towards the stables.

To hell with any rules, he needed to see it for himself.

* * *

Halt watched in a dreamlike state as Ryan yanked Fianna to her feet. She avoided looking at Halt though he managed to catch a glimpse of tears trailing down her face. Halt's mind snapped back into order, trying to think what to do. It was odd how sudden events could be like a slap to the face to waking somebody up. Randolph was coming back from dumping Jeffery and stopped when he saw Ryan shoving Fianna against the whipping post.

Halt took his eyes off of the guard and looked back to what was taking place in front of him. There had to be a way out of this mess, there was always a way if you looked hard enough. Being the trained tactical man he was, panic didn't pass through Halt's mind once as he assessed it all.

Ryan had complete control here seeing as he had the weapon and was perhaps the only one not too traumatized or beaten to do anything. Halt knew he was useless. He could hardly breathe without it hurting and moving was like submitting himself to being trampled by cavalry. Not to mention he had no weapon and would probably be struck down in a second if he tried to make a distraction. Even if he did manage to distract Ryan and get himself killed it wouldn't save Fianna, he'd just turn around and deal with her as soon as he was sure the Ranger was out.

Glancing around for any other thing that might be of use, Halt caught sight of Randolph. The man was watching Ryan as if trying to decide on something but Halt discarded the fact; it wasn't any help at the moment. Dragging his eyes away, Halt looked back to see what was happening with Fianna. Ryan had tied her to the post already and was walking away to get in place to whip her. Halt felt his mouth go dry, he couldn't think of anything he could do. For a moment he tried to speak but it hurt too much and all he managed was a pathetic snarl.

Ryan turned around and raised the deadly weapon above his head, ready to flick it down and begin what he considered a smart thing. Halt felt hate boiling in his stomach. He felt it for almost anybody who thought killing like this was fine and that having no reason was a good enough reason, but this was worse. Fianna hadn't done a damn thing really and even if she had, beating her would be the lowest of the low. She wasn't like Halt and Jeffery, she wasn't as strong or well-built and it wouldn't take long before she was gone. She didn't even have a fighting chance really.

Halt was about to attempt yelling again when a flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Stopping his attempt, the Ranger glanced at what was happening and raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Randolph was sprinting at Ryan who had his back turned to him. The guard had an angry look on his face and Halt saw a dagger clutched in his hand. Almost immediately he knew what was going to happen and had a fleeting moment of sorrow that his son was going to die.

The moment passed quickly when he remembered all Ryan had done.

Events unfolded quickly before him as Randolph launched himself at Ryan and tackled him to the ground, the knife flashing in the dull sun. Ryan's whip had gone down with him and Halt saw that it was getting tangled up in everything. Ryan was already still, his head bleeding from where it had smacked the ground and various spots from where the knife had been driven into him. Halt found himself drawn to the scene even though he wanted to look away. It was unreal in a way. His son, the one he'd only known about recently, was now lying on the ground dead. The Ranger didn't feel as bad as he might have, for the reason that Ryan hadn't been the best person, but it still stung a bit.

However, Halt didn't have much time to dwell on it as Randolph finished with his job and untangled himself from the barbed strings. Scratches covered his face and there were several cuts and slashes on his arms from the weapon but nothing that seemed serious. He stood and looked at Halt. Though the Ranger didn't flinch or show any outward signs of worry, inside he was thinking over what the possibilities were that Randolph was coming for him next. The results came out in the guard's favor.

For a moment, Randolph simply looked at him and Halt looked back. He could see Randolph was thinking over what to do and stiffened a bit when the man took a step towards him. He was large, no doubt about it, and had a shaved head that made him seem tougher for some reason. Dark eyes drilled into whatever he was looking at and Halt got the feeling that he should say something. Summing up what strength he had, Halt opened his mouth.

"Got any coffee?"

**I think I've mentioned this earlier, this really isn't my best fic in my opinion and I don't think it really interests me for this reason. I have my reasons for not liking it and I actually want to hear what you don't like about it. So if you could leave that in a review, that'd be awesome.**


	24. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Well looky there, I ain't dead! Sorry it's taken so long, spring break is almost over and I've accomplished next to nothing except finding this file on my laptop. I really should create a folder called 'deep depths of forgotten ideas', it would have belonged there in all honesty. **

**So here's what happened in this story: We leave off with that Randolph, Halt staring contest and Halt asks for coffee, well I couldn't figure out what might come next so I did this. But don't worry! The few gaps shall be filled in! And I will update Gilan's First Year soon hopefully! Though there might be a few updates for this first because I have an idea! NO. THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING**

Crowley rode into the small hamlet where he had been directed to by Sean. Supposedly it was the closest place to the path where Halt had been pronounced dead. In all honesty, his worry was growing. It'd taken him about a week to get from Baron Eastwood's fief to Hibernia and an extra day and a half to get to this settlement. Getting a room anywhere was almost out of the question Crowley figured. Due to the impossibly unfair charge the captain of the boat that had brought him to Hibernia had made him pay, he was left with barely any money. Not to mention all he had paid to get to sleep in the barn of some random farmer on a night that had been particularly nasty. It seemed the only difference between a burglar and any of these people was you had to ask the people if you could pay them. The thought to ask Sean for some money had crossed his mind, but it would have taken a while and he figured he'd gained about a mile for just getting directions and leaving. He'd even refused the feast Sean had suggested for his arrival.

The small village was made up of about ten to fifteen squat cabins. It wasn't anything impressive; the biggest building was set in the middle of the area and was actually a market. Dismounting Cropper, Crowley stretched his limbs while glancing around casually. There weren't many people and they all looked similar as if they were actually all family. That wouldn't have been odd though, Crowley had been in plenty of settlements in Araluen and in foreign countries made up primarily of an ongoing family. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to get lunch with what little money he had left, Crowley made sure Cropper was settled before heading into the building used as the market.

It was dim inside, but fairly well lit by the natural light coming in through the windows. There were several people talking to each other at a few stalls, and none of them looked his way. Based on the fact that this place had a market and he wasn't drawing much attention, Crowley figured that it was on some trading route. He'd been through the land around the hamlet and it was mostly made of farming land so it made sense.

Settling on a few good looking apples for Cropper and some cheap dried beef for himself, Crowley went back to his horse. He'd run out of food that morning and the dried beef and apples was about all he could afford. Leading Cropper to a copse of trees a bit outside the small village, he sat down and started eating the beef, taking one of the three apples as well.

It'd been over a week since he'd gotten the letter of Halt's supposed death and he was wondering if he'd be able to find him now. It was Halt, all too often he'd been proclaimed dead and even once he'd come walking in on his own funeral. By now Crowley had given up believing the rumors unless there was a body to back it up. Then again, that'd hadn't always been promising either. He doubted they were still on the island. From his brief meeting with Sean, he'd heard they'd found two bodies washed ashore a few miles down from the island. One had been Ryan and the other had been one of his men. That meant that Halt, Fianna and one more of Sean's men were left. Crowley hoped that Halt had gotten himself and Fianna out of trouble and if he knew the Ranger like he thought he did, he knew Halt would leave the island as soon as he could.

Sean had considered sending out a search party, but he'd needed his men and it wouldn't have done any good to send a party of armed men into another king's territory. Crowley had figured it'd be wise enough to search the towns and villages closest to the island first then extend outwards. He'd already promised himself that if he didn't find Halt within two weeks then he'd go back to Araluen. That would mean he'd gotten the letter over three weeks ago and if Halt wasn't found by then, chances were he was really gone or he'd made his way back. Crowley hoped it was the latter.

He was considering asking around to see if anybody had seen or heard of Halt when he caught sight of two people walking towards the buildings that made up the hamlet. They were still quite a ways away, but Crowley could make out small details. One was a tall and muscular man, a farmer by the way he dressed, while the other was a female. She had light brown hair with a few strands of silver. She was a bit shorter than the other man; though Crowley got the feeling it wouldn't be any wiser to cross her than to cross the man. She was dressed in a worn dress though it didn't look to be near the end of its life. It was like any dress a woman in this type of place might wear.

Standing up, Crowley began to saddle Cropper. He'd start by asking the people in the market about Halt, they were more likely to know what was going on around town and any strangers that had passed through. He had finished with the saddle and the people were a bit closer. Before he could mount, a light wind blew towards him and he caught part of the conversation the two were having. He frowned and turned towards them. Most the words had come jumbled, but he'd definitely heard the name Fianna.

Crowley frowned and studied the two closer. The woman's light brown hair went down across her shoulders and didn't seem to be held together by anything. Now that she was nearer, Crowley could see she had green eyes and wasn't very hard on the eyes. Keeping a pretense of looking through the saddlebags for something, he focused more on listening to what they were saying.

"-could leave in a day," the man said. He had a deep rumbling voice and looked much like those Crowley had already seen in the town.

"Thank you Cole, will he be ready though?" Fianna asked. She had an edge of concern though she didn't seem overly worried about anything. "Those injuries from the whip and everything else seemed bad. Not to mention his ribs."

"That depends; Kyle said that the cuts look fine. They aren't infected and they're healing nicely. The ribs should be feeling better now. Kyle set them then wrapped him up, he was standing earlier. Really it's up to Halt if you want to leave. If he's up to it then tomorrow is as good a day as any," Cole explained.

Crowley fought the urge to turn around and ask them all a bunch of a questions, the prominent one being 'Where is Halt?'. Instead, he kept up his fake search in the saddlebags and waited until they passed. He'd stopped listening to the conversation, he had all he needed. Once they had passed, he took off Cropper's saddle and set it up in a branch in the tree where it was covered by leaves and branches. Giving Cropper the signal to be free, Crowley started off behind the duo that had passed.

The trick was to act casual and it seemed he did well enough, for none of the three people they passed shot him any questioning looks. He followed them to a comfortable looking cabin on the edges of the northern side of the hamlet. Crowley pulled his cowl up and blended into the shadows of the cabin next to it and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing with relief.

Sitting on the porch with a mug of what looked like coffee was Halt.

**That was more of a filler, but it got me to where I wanted to be and I'm feeling better about this fic, please review, I'd really like to hear what you think of it. Whether it be along the lines of 'STOP THIS STUPIDNESS, YOU ARE RUINING MY DAY WITH THIS GARBAGE' or 'Well that was just dandy, please continue this moderate display of an almost good fic'**


	25. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Even though he'd stopped his laughter, a wide grin was plastered across Crowley's features and it was pointless to try and hide it. Though he was doing a rather fine job with his cloak and the shadow around him. He watched Fianna walk up the steps and Cole wait for her. He was happy with that arrangement, it meant she'd be leaving and then he could talk to Halt. At the moment he doubted anything could make his smile go away. Halt was fine and he was living and he looked to be in the same grouchy mood as always.

Then Fianna kissed him.

Crowley's smile faltered and almost disappeared at that. It wasn't so much that Fianna had kissed him as it was the lack of response from Halt. If anything, he seemed pleased with it. Crowley watched Fianna talk with Halt for a little bit. He could hear what they were saying, but wasn't paying much attention to it. When Fianna finally left with Cole, Crowley waited a few minutes to see if they'd forgotten anything. When it was clear they weren't coming back, he pulled his cowl down and started for the porch.

"You should have kept your teeth hidden when you were smiling like a fool," Halt said casually as he saw the commandant coming towards him. "White stands out."

"Back from the dead I see," Crowley responded. Despite his confusion and disappointment with Halt, he felt his grin coming back. "Though if Pauline ever finds out about this, you'll be joining them again."

Halt glared at him for that. Crowley met his eyes and wiped his smile away. He didn't care if Halt would get angry at him; he wanted an explanation as to why he was kissing Fianna while Pauline was depressed back in Araluen. The commandant did a quick inspection of Halt. He was dressed in worn farming clothes, not that they were too different from what he usually wore. There were a few more scars on his face than before, but it didn't seem like there were any serious cuts at the moment.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Halt?" Crowley said after a while. Halt's glare didn't falter and the commandant even thought it intensified.

"I think I'm waiting for you to go away," Halt answered. Crowley didn't hear any anger, but that wasn't anything to go by with Halt. He could have already killed Crowley three times over in his head.

Crowley shook his head. "I meant what do you think you're doing kissing Fianna when you're married," he clarified. A quick glance at Halt's hand told him he'd removed his ring and that didn't bode well.

"Go away, Crowley," he snapped. Crowley didn't move, though he realized he was within Halt's reach and felt an urge to take a step back out of it.

"First tell me why you're doing this. Pauline is back in Araluen and she thinks you're dead. I don't give a damn if you've fought; this isn't how you fix it."

Halt's glare definitely intensified, but Crowley didn't budge. "I'm clearly not dead. You can go back and tell her that and she can go be with Lance." Halt almost spat the words out and his dark eyes were more threatening than a thunderstorm. He obviously wasn't happy with his wife, though Crowley thought that was unfounded seeing as he was kissing Fianna and Pauline had hardly ever shook hands with Lance.

"You can't be serious, Halt! Pauline doesn't even like Lance like that! She's pregnant with your damn kid for crying out loud, she'd hardly be going after anybody else like you seem to have already done!" Crowley was almost shouting and he made a note to calm down a bit, it wouldn't do any good to have the neighbors come wandering over wondering what was happening.

Halt was glaring at him, and Crowley was confused as to why he looked a bit shocked. Well, as shocked as Halt would ever looked. Thinking for a minute, the commandant realized he'd let slip Pauline's state. Leaning against the railing that ran around the porch, he crossed his arms.

"Yes, Halt, she's pregnant and I can tell you for a dammed fact it's not Lance's," he said as calmly as he could before Halt had to think up some scathing reply. Crowley picked up on how his friend gritted his teeth together and clenched and unclenched his fists. His mug was sitting on the arm rest of the chair and Crowley was glad for that. Had it been in his hand, Halt would have broken it somehow.

"Go away," Halt snarled after a few moments. Crowley didn't move. He wasn't even threatened; Halt was only doing this because it was impossible for him to show anything other than anger.

"Halt-"

"I said go away," he snapped heatedly.

Crowley would have argued more, had he not heard Fianna and Cole coming back. Glancing towards the voices, he pulled his cowl up. He didn't need to explain himself to those two. Something about them just didn't appeal to him. Shaking his head he started back down the stairs of the porch before they could come around one of the cabins.

"I know you Halt, you don't want to do this. Just stop being your stubborn bastard self and think," he said then left. As he disappeared into the lengthening shadows of the day, he heard Fianna and Halt talking. Halt didn't sound as angry anymore and Crowley had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

* * *

Halt finished his supper on the porch, Fianna sitting next to him in another chair. She had her hand on his arm and he had no desire to move it though he couldn't help thinking over what Crowley said. He was close to hating himself for this Fianna ordeal now that he knew Pauline was pregnant. He'd left Fianna like that he didn't want to repeat that with Pauline.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Halt glanced at Fianna who was talking with Cole. It was Cole's house they were staying at seeing as his brother was the best healer around. After Randolph had killed Ryan, he'd brought Fianna and Halt to this hamlet claiming that he was done with the entire ordeal and he was moving on from it. Halt had a desire to lop the brute's head off for killing his son, but he'd been knocked out and transported. When he woke up in Cole and Kyle's cabin, Randolph was long gone.

His injuries had still been incapacitating no matter how much he argued and tried to prove it. Fianna had kept her patience throughout it though and managed to get him to stay still for a few days so the cuts from the whip could scab over properly and his ribs could get a break from constant jostling. Only today had she allowed him to try walking and he'd protested hard when she tried to give him a walking stick. In all honesty, he seemed far better now that he could walk and get outside. The fresh air had done more for him than the bandages and herbs had done.

Halt looked back at Fianna when he felt her squeeze his arm and a jolt of guilt ran through him. What was he doing? Fianna gave him more attention than Pauline had in the past three or four months and he hadn't argued with her once since they'd met. Not even when he'd decided he'd disobey her and tried to cut firewood. Not to mention he still felt bad for leaving her and felt he owed it to her to make up for what happened on the island. After she'd found out about Ryan, she'd ignored him for a few hours, most of them had been while he was unconscious, but she still came back around to him. Even if she said she was fine with it, Halt could tell she wasn't over it. Neither was he, though he didn't know how to feel about it.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, dragging Halt out of his thoughts. He nodded slightly.

"Never better," he muttered.

She smiled and kissed him quickly, which only made Halt bite the inside of his lip. Somehow she'd gotten close to him despite what he'd promised himself when he got to Hibernia to save her. On the island he hadn't argued it and he didn't fully want to argue it now, even knowing about Pauline. Even so, it wasn't right in any way and his mind had to dig for a bit before he came up with a suitable excuse.

"Kyle's going to come out here soon and order you back to bed, it might just be better to go now and skip your hour of protest," Fianna said. She stood up and offered her hand.

Halt was a bit reluctant, but it was still hard to get up by himself without his ribs arguing with him. They were far better, though not completely fixed yet. He was a bit annoyed by how easily he and Fianna interacted. It wasn't supposed to be this easy if he was married.

Then again, if he was married and it was this easy, maybe it was telling himself something.

**Yep, another filler but it's setting up what I need...please review**


	26. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Fianna led him inside the cabin. From the inside it seemed larger than from the outside. Halt had found it was set up much like a Ranger's cabin. The only real difference being it was decorated more than most Ranger homes he'd seen. On the left, two comfortable chairs were set up by the fire with a couch in between them facing the flame. The right half of the room held the kitchen where Kyle made most of his poultices and medicines. Two rooms led off from the area, one was Kyle's room and the other was usually Cole's. However, since their arrival, Cole had willingly switched to the couch claiming it happened fairly often when patients came for help.

Inside Cole's room, two beds were set up. A window offered light, though there was hardly any now, and a few chairs gave decoration with a large rug. There was also a table set up on the left of the door. Halt frowned slightly as Fianna led him to the bed on the left, the one she'd been using. It was the closest to the window and most of the dim light was focused there. Halt sat on the edge of the bedwhile Fianna lay down beside him.

"We can leave tomorrow if you're feeling up to it," she said softly and took his hand.

Halt tensed slightly and went to take it away from her before changing his mind. It was just holding hands; it wasn't as if anything was going to be made of it. That'd been his excuse for most things, it could work again.

"We could have left today then," Halt muttered.

They had planned to go back to Dun Kilty, after they got there, Halt had no clue what might happen. No doubt he was going back to Araluen, it was just a question of whether Fianna would come or not. That and if he wanted her to come or not. He cursed himself for leaning more towards wanting her to come.

Even if they did get to Araluen, he didn't know what he'd do there. He was still a Ranger, even if he'd lost all of his gear in the incident on the path. He swallowed when he recalled Abelard, he had a sinking feeling that the horse was gone and he didn't look forward to having to replace him.

Fianna rolled her eyes. "It's impossible to please you, isn't it?" It was sarcastic, though nothing like Halt's 'I want to make you feel stupid' sarcasm. Halt didn't answer, it would just result in an ongoing conversation and he didn't feel like participating in that.

Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but think about Pauline. He didn't want to leave her like had to Fianna, but he didn't want to go back to the fighting and then leaving on missions only to come back to more fighting. It was hard enough being a Ranger, having a wife you always seemed to fight with didn't help matters.

He wasn't about to leave a child without a father though. Even if he didn't want to go back for Pauline, he'd go back for the kid he'd just heard about. After what happened with Fianna, he'd already dismissed any thoughts of leaving them be like before. Then again, they had Lance.

"You're thinking about Pauline," Fianna stated simply. She didn't sound angry about it, but she didn't seem enthused either. Halt raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'll add mind reader to your list of talents," he muttered. Fianna smiled and pulled him down next to her.

Halt wanted to sit up and just go to bed. His own bed preferably. Scolding himself then making up excuses for what he was doing was beginning to give him a headache and he was feeling guiltier by the minute. It was getting to be overwhelming with having to think over little moves that at one point would have been no brainers.

Fianna rested her head on his shoulder and kept hold of his hand while her other hand was under the pillow. Her hand in his helped relax him a bit, but he had to look more for an excuse. Eventually he came to rest on the same one he'd used a million times before.

"What are you going to do?" she asked and Halt frowned slightly. "She's pregnant, are you going back?" she clarified. Halt's frown turned into a scowl.

"I didn't tell you about that," he said, not answering the question. Fianna rolled her eyes again.

"It was hard to miss when that man yelled it. Cole and I could hear it while we were passing Erik's. So what're you going to do? Sean would more than welcome you at the castle."

Halt's scowl didn't fade, he didn't know what he was doing and he didn't appreciate her asking for an answer. He wasn't one to share his feelings and now was no different. She'd asked what they were to do before and so far they'd just gotten down that they'd go back to the castle. Halt was just now having doubts about that, but wasn't going to voice anything until he knew what he was doing.

"I don't want to stay in Hibernia, it's not my home," Halt stated in a tone that suggested he wanted to be done with the conversation.

"That doesn't answer my question," Fianna answered, clearly fine with carrying it on. Halt muttered something she couldn't understand though it was no doubt an insult of some sort.

"I don't know then," he grumbled. Fianna kissed him softly and he had to resist the urge to sit up and go to his own bed. For some reason this was bothering him far more than it had in the past week. Of course, in the past week he hadn't known he was going to be a father. Again.

"I think I have a solution," she started. "You could just go to hell."

Fianna shifted and Halt barely had time to register what was happening before she stuffed a piece of cloth in his mouth and held a knife, he noticed it was in the hand that had been under the pillow, against his throat.

**Please review**


	27. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Back from the dead yet again, don't know how I keep doing that, darn tests...anyway, sorry if I never got to respond to any of your reviews, I kept reminding myself then I got distracted or tired or simply forgot...soooo let's do this quickly:**

**Flaminglake: Haha, yeah it was great while it lasted**

**Mychele O'Carrik of Clonmel: Ah, it's Halt, he can be cunning most times, but when it comes to something like emotions then he's about as sharp as an english teacher helping with math. **

**Alyss Mainwaring: Yeah, I probably should have updated that tomorrow that you spoke of, however, I got distracted :/ I debated doing Will's reaction, but it wasn't really relevant to anything...**

**Random Yoshi: Well two weeks could be considered soon...**

**SkittlesGal: Nope, not kidding, yep, it did just happen, and yep, CROWLEY TO THE GOSH DARN RESCUE. And you most likely have that feeling because this tis be a Braltian fic**

**SeekerMaxia: This sorcery is called a long weekend :D Haha, cliffhangers are just a bad habit because I suck at writing any good stopping points unless it's the ending and even then there's a lot of trouble with it. And I'd say it's been around two weeks;)**

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, have a nice day and du bist toll (you are awesome)**

Halt simply raised an eyebrow at her as he felt the knife press harder against his throat. He'd been in situations like this before, some worse, and it seemed kind of pathetic to him. About the third or fourth time this happened, he'd gotten over the bit of panic that would rise up inside of him. That wasn't to say there wasn't any worry, just not nearly enough to make a difference.

"I prefer to stay away from there," he said, spitting out the piece of cloth. He suspected it had just been shoved in his mouth to keep him from calling out. Not that would have done that anyway. He pushed back against the mattress a bit so his throat wasn't pressed against the knife as badly. Fianna caught the slight movement and brought the knife down accordingly.

Deciding it was a better idea not to move again, though Halt could think of several ways to get free at the moment, he relaxed. It made him seem unthreatening, though appearance shouldn't be trusted, and it also allowed him to think more clearly.

Why Fianna was doing this, Halt had no clue; Ryan and Felix were more than likely most of it. Another might be Pauline and the newer way Halt was acting. In the past he hadn't been as tense around Fianna and he hated to admit it, but he had lightened up slightly. Not so much as to be noticed by anybody else except those who knew him best though. Now, however, he was slipping back to how he had been with the discovery of Pauline's state. He thought even a knight would be able to pick up on some of the changes. And he regarded some knights as the stupidest of the stupid.

It would take a few seconds for him to formulate a good enough plan, one that would keep both himself and Fianna from being hurt and Cole and Kyle from thinking anything was wrong. He didn't want to hurt Fianna, if it came down to it, he might, but he wouldn't do it if he could avoid it.

"Mind telling me why you have a knife against my throat?" Halt asked calmly, looking up at her. He had an idea, but he wanted to see how much he could get out of her before he used it. Fianna glared back at him and he was slightly surprised by the ferocity in her eyes.

"You killed Felix and you're most of the reason Ryan is dead, not to mention you left me with the twins and now I hear your wife is pregnant. Want to take a guess?" she snapped back.

Halt wasn't surprised; he'd been expecting something along the lines of that. Though the comment about Pauline almost sent him back to thinking again. He cursed himself for putting his defenses down, if he'd just stuck to what he was expected to do then he wouldn't be in this problem. But no, he'd had to let everything get complicated and end up back with Fianna.

"I didn't know it was Felix and Ryan was ready to kill both of us. It was Randolph that killed him in the end, I had nothing to do with it," Halt answered and he felt the knife dig into his skin.

"Ryan turned out like he did because of you, there's no excuse for that. Even if Ferris did try to run you out, you've pretended to be others before. You could have returned," she countered and Halt bit back a comment that could be considered rather rude.

"And you think killing me is going to fix all of that?" Halt hesitated before putting his hand over hers on the knife handle and pulling it away slowly.

She didn't resist, though she didn't release the blade either. He'd learned that the best way out of these things was talking, possibly slight violence if it came down to it. But if he was injured and weaponless, it was almost always better to just talk his way out of it. It was the problem of what to do after, when the knife was away from his neck and he was sure they weren't going to attack that brought the real challenge.

"You aren't going to just walk off after all you've done. I lost both of my boys because of you and I'm not letting you get away with it," she argued and replaced the knife on his neck. Halt didn't fight and just laid his hand back down.

"Kill me now and what will happen to my child in Araluen?" he persisted, he was reluctant to talk about Pauline or anything relating to her, but he might as well if there was a knife to his throat and no way else to get it away.

That made Fianna fall silent and Halt saw her hesitate. It was his chance and he took it. Moving while she was distracted, he clamped his hand onto the knife's handle and twisted it out of her grip quickly. While doing that, he'd managed to slip off the bed and come to his feet. His ribs gave a weak protest, but it was more uncomfortable than it was painful.

Fianna stayed sitting on the bed, glaring at him. It didn't bother him though. Now all he had to figure out what to do. He had no clue where Crowley might be and his only method of travel was walking.

"You should be dead," Fianna said far too calmly. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"Haven't heard that before," he muttered sarcastically. He didn't want to knock her unconscious and leave, that wouldn't accomplish anything.

"The difference being this time it's true. You left me and your kids and started a new family," she said and there was no doubt that it was bitterness layering her voice.

"My brother was trying to kill me and I got stuck in a war in another country, I didn't have any control over any of it," Halt answered, keeping his eyes on her. "Coming back wasn't an option."

"Nothing could keep you from you wanted last time I checked," she responded.

"I-"Halt's speech stumbled as he saw Crowley's head appear in the window in the edge of his vision. "-couldn't help it," he finished, covering up the skip as best as he could, which was fairly well.

He also managed to keep his calm, though in his head he was stuck between cursing and thanking Crowley.

**Please review**


	28. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Again, I apologize for my long absence, but I've returned from the dead once more, and with a new chapter no less.**

**For all the reviewers of the last chapter, I apologize for not responding to any of them, but I do appreciate the reviews so: Thanks for the review, have a nice day and don't get eaten by the wasp I just witnessed climbing out of its grave**

Taking a few steps towards the door to the room and making sure Fianna kept her eyes on him, Halt made sure to seem as unthreatening as possible. He shot a quick glance at Crowley and the other Ranger grinned, his white teeth flashing in the dark night background. Halt settled on solely cursing his companion mentally.

"You could have come back, Halt. There's no excuse that explains why you've been missing for so long. It's not like there's been a war for over twenty years in Araluen that you needed to be involved in," Fianna said, the bitterness underlying every word.

"Ferris was still here," Halt responded gruffly. He was only half focused on the conversation now. He was mostly watching Crowley out of the corner of his eye.

The Commandant had hauled himself up onto the windowsill and slipped through it, landing on the hard floorboards as softly as a cat in its prime. He started towards Fianna quietly and amazingly hard to see. Halt wanted to stop him somehow, but there wasn't a way to do so without alerting Fianna. It might be better that Crowley take this into his own hands anyway, Halt had no clue how to get out on his own.

Fianna frowned at Halt's words and went to say something. However, almost at the exact moment, Crowley hit her over the head with the hilt of his saxe knife. Halt moved forward to prevent her from falling off the bed, shooting the other Ranger a glare.

"Thought you said you were subtle," Halt muttered, helping Fianna's unconscious body onto the middle of the bed. Crowley grinned and shrugged.

"She didn't know what was happening; I consider that to be subtle. Not to mention they'll think she's sleeping if anybody comes to check on her," he answered and watched Halt. "I heard most of what happened and saw about half of it, happy to hear you want to come back."

Halt rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't have taken that long for me to say that," he grumbled to himself.

Finishing with Fianna, Halt retrieved the few things he had. Kyle had lent him a knife similar to his saxe though not nearly as hard or sharp. Crowley went to the door of the room and opened it a sliver, peering out into the main room. It was still and quiet and he opened the door wider, glancing at Halt to see if he was done getting ready.

"Cropper's right outside the town limits and not many people are about," he whispered. "There's a few horses tied up outside a house on our way. You can get one of the horses and we can leave money to pay for it," he added and saw a slightly frown cross Halt's features. He straightened slightly and eased the door shut before turning to face his friend. "What's wrong now?"

Halt shook his head. "Just want to leave," he muttered. That was half the truth at least; he wanted to get as far away from this place and Fianna as possible. However, he felt faint traces of guilt role around him for leaving Fianna unconscious. He'd tried to avoid that for a reason. Then again, there was no other option and he had the feeling Crowley wouldn't allow him to stay and wait until she woke up. Shrugging the matter away mentally, Halt motioned towards the door, he had his head on straight now and the guilt for Pauline was weighing on him heavier than the guilt for leaving the woman that had tried to kill him unconscious.

Crowley opened the door again and they slipped out of the house silently.

* * *

Halt strode down the corridor to his apartment. The same hallway where he'd beaten Lance to near unconsciousness and Pauline had thrown her ring at him. It was as normal as it ever was, but Halt couldn't help his gait getting heavier as he went on. He doubted Pauline was going to be all that happy with him, not that he could blame her.

Stopping at the door, he pulled his cowl down and rapped his knuckles against the solid wood. There was a brief pause before his courier opened the door, the bump forming on her abdomen a bit too big to be hidden. Halt didn't say anything as she looked at him, her eyebrows arching upwards. It was hardly a minute before he felt himself being crushed in her embrace. It felt nice to be with her again without her yelling, but he couldn't bring himself to enjoy her presence. It'd only take a few words to get her angry at him again.

Eventually she released him and he glanced down the corridor to see if anybody was coming towards them. He would have pushed her away sooner than she'd released him, but he owed her something. If he was just going to make her angry, he might as well get her in the best possible mood first.

"Are we going to stand here all night?" he muttered and she let a slight smile cross her features as if there'd never been anything wrong before.

Looks could be deceiving though and Halt caught a bit of disappointment in the look she gave him. It was as if she'd known something was going to happen between Fianna and him and was now just waiting for him to spill out his excuses. He felt a bit annoyed, but quickly bit down the feeling. He wasn't going to prompt an argument, it'd just be better to go on like normal.

She moved aside so he could enter the apartment and then went to the stove to start a pot of coffee. Halt's guilt grew as he kept catching her glancing at him as if making sure he was actually in one piece. Though he couldn't see her eyes, the tension in her shoulders gave him enough indication that he wouldn't be able to pretend nothing happened for long. Once his coffee was done, she brought it over to him and sat down across the table. He took a sip of his coffee before setting it down and fiddling with the handle.

"Is Will around?" he muttered to fill the silence. Pauline was as collected and cool as always, but something in her eyes made the air feel tense and he got the hint that he should start explaining himself. The only thing was he didn't know how.

"He's out chasing bandits," she answered and he heard a slight edge underlying her words. It wasn't anything pronounced, but he could sense it anyway. He glanced at her quickly before relaxing back in his chair.

"To be fair, I was nearly beat to death when it started," Halt stated as easily as he could. He had no doubt she knew what he was talking about. The look of disappointment she'd given him earlier told him that much. She already seemed to know it had happened and he might as well explain himself.

Pauline was quiet for a minute before crossing her arms. "I don't need to hear it, Halt," she answered. Just the fact that he was talking about it so simply was enough to make her words slightly sharp. He counted to three mentally to keep himself calm.

"I felt like I had to, Pauline. The way I left before basically ruined her life," he went on, trying to sound as if it were one of their usual conversations.

Pauline eyed him for a minute before taking a deep breath. "If you were so obligated to stay, why did you come back? If you let it go so far as to make it worth telling me, why not just stay?" She didn't sound angry. Halt could still feel the tense air and the slightly edged words, but she was far from arguing with him at the moment.

"I could hardly stay if I'm supposed to be a father," he answered and took another sip of his coffee to try and make things seem like any other day.

"So you only came back because I'm going to have a baby," Pauline summarized. Halt frowned slightly. That was hardly a fair statement. Maybe it had been the only thing to finalize his decision on what to do, but he was trying to settle this neatly, the least she could do was give him the benefit of the doubt.

"It's a good reason," he stated, not wanting to go into discussion about all the other factors that had rolled through his head to come back or to stay for that matter. Pauline rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm guessing that's the reason you cut it off with Fianna as well," she answered. Halt's frown deepened.

"Did you want me to stay with her? I'm not leaving you like I left her." Halt took a steadying breath to keep himself from getting angry. It would only put them back in the position they'd been in for far too long.

"The reason you come back shouldn't be because I'm having a child, Halt," Pauline said. Halt felt himself getting annoyed despite his deep breath. He slipped a hand into his pocket and felt a familiar item, he was glad he'd grabbed it before leaving with Crowley.

"Did it cross your mind that I came back because you left this with an idiot?" Halt muttered and tossed her ring onto the table.

Pauline's brow creased for a moment before she realized what the item was. It took a long moment before she took it off the table and slipped it on. Halt couldn't remember holding his breath, but he let it out when the ring was safely on her finger.

"I didn't plan any of it, Pauline. It just happened," he added once he felt it was safe to say something. Pauline nodded slightly and he saw a faint smile slip across her lips. A knot in his chest loosened and he took another sip of his coffee.

"Maybe it would have been better if you'd stayed away from here though," she said. Halt frowned again. "Lucas thinks I'm having twins," she answered before he could ask and laughed softly at the look he gave her.

"Maybe," he muttered, along with a few choice words that only caused her to laugh again.

**Sorry for the terrible ending, but I thought it was time I got this over with and went back to my Gilan story. Still, reviews are welcome**


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